TRANSPORT

Airports

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of enacting the proposed special administration regime in the event of a major airport owner going into administration.

Paul Clark: As part of a consultation on proposals to reform the economic regulation of airports, the Department for Transport sought views on a package of proposed measures to strengthen the financial resilience of airports. The Department is currently considering responses to the consultation and will make an appropriate assessment of special administration following analysis of those consultation responses.

Crossings: Tolls

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport who is responsible for setting the charges for  (a) the Severn Crossing,  (b) the Dartford Crossing and  (c) the Humber Crossing.

Sadiq Khan: For the Severn Crossing, Severn River Crossing plc is responsible for setting the toll charges. The Severn Bridge Act 1992 sets out the formula to increase toll charges in line with RPI. Under this Act the Secretary of State for Transport is required to make an Order in December each year fixing the toll amounts for the following calendar year.
	For the Dartford Crossing, Le Crossing Company Ltd (who operate the tunnel) are responsible for setting the road user charge. The Secretary of State for Transport is responsible for approving this using powers under the Transport Act 2000.
	For the Humber Bridge, the Humber Bridge Board is responsible for setting the toll charges. Under the Humber Bridge Act 1971, the Secretary of State for Transport is responsible for approving any proposals for toll increases submitted by the Board.

Cycling: Finance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much capital funding has been allocated to the links to schools cycling programme in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) Huntingdonshire and  (d) Peterborough in each year since the inception of the programme.

Sadiq Khan: Between 2005 and March 2008, Sustrans (Sustainable Transport Charity) has on the Department for Transport's behalf made available £511,531 in grants for the Eastern region to deliver a Links to Schools programme working with local authorities. Of this amount, £170,281 has been made available to Cambridgeshire county council. More detailed information is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Cycling: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encourage bicycle usage in  (a) Hemel Hempstead,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: Between 2005 and March 2008, Sustrans (the Sustainable Transport Charity) has on the Department for Transport's behalf made available £782,667 in grants for local authorities in the East of England region to deliver a Links to Schools programme to encourage more children to cycle to school. Of this amount, £32,436 has been made available to Hertfordshire county council.
	We have also been awarding cycle training grants to local authorities since 2006-07 to encourage cycling to school and the Links to Schools programme referred to above. The grants awarded each year to Hertfordshire county council are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority cycle training grants  to  Hertfordshire county council 
			   Grant (£) 
			 2006-07 28,000 
			 2007-08 59,500 
			 2008-09 65,000 
			 2009-10 70,000 
			 Total 2006-07 to 2009-10 222,500

Departmental Consultants

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether consultants acting as interim managers in his Department may  (a) dismiss civil servants and  (b) initiate formal procedures against civil servants on the grounds of (i) poor performance, (ii) attendance and (iii) discipline.

Chris Mole: Consultants acting as managers may take any management action short of dismissal, but a decision to dismiss decision can only be taken by a civil servant.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Chris Mole: The position regarding updating web browsers from Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) varies between the Department for Transport (DfT) (Central) and its Agencies, and can be summarised as follows:
	
		
			   Position 
			 Department for Transport (Central) DfT (Central) migrated from IE6 to IE7 in 2008. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Plan to upgrade from IE 6 between September 2009 and March 2010 on its main campus, and September 2009 and September 2010 across the Local Services Network. 
			 Highways Agency Currently have no plans to update from IE6. 
			 Driving Standards Agency Are currently evaluating IE7 and IE8. If tests successful, one of these versions will be rolled out in the next three months. 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Currently have no plans to upgrade from IE6. 
			 Marine and Coastguard Agency Currently still using IE6 as required for core business systems, but plan to test IE8 in early 2010 with an aim to migrate in mid 2010. 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency Plan to upgrade from IE6 to IE8 by September 2009. 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency Already use IE7, although a few users are still on IE6 for compatibility reasons—they will be upgraded as soon as compatibility issues resolved.

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole: Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code.
	Civil servants may shadow MPs as part of a programme run by the Industry and Parliament Trust. Information on the number of staff who have participated is not held centrally.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Tim Farron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of a third runway at Heathrow on the Government's ability to meet the requirements of EU legislation for levels of  (a) nitrogen dioxide and  (b) particulate matter.

Paul Clark: Our assessment of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) impacts of adding a third runway at Heathrow was set out in the "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation document and the relevant technical reports, published in November 2007.

National Express East Coast

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his estimate is of the capital value of National Express East Coast Ltd.

Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 644W.

Network Rail: Directors

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 611-12W, on Network Rail: directors, in what circumstances his Department may appoint directors to private companies.

Chris Mole: The only circumstances where the Department for Transport may appoint directors to private companies is where something is written in law or the constitution of a company which would permit the Department to appoint a director. The Secretary of State for Transport may appoint a special director to the Board of Network Rail at his discretion.

Railways

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage rail travel in off-peak hours.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport regulates certain rail fares, particularly where people have little alternative to rail to make necessary journeys (such as season tickets used by commuters). Regulated fares account for in excess of 60 per cent. of all rail journeys made.
	Train operators are free to apply commercial pricing to unregulated fares, which means charging higher fares at peak times when trains are full but lower fares to price-sensitive passengers in the off-peak to attract additional passengers. This helps achieve value for money in terms of both passengers carried and subsidy required.

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how much revenue was taken from each charging category on each of the two Severn crossings in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many vehicles in Category 3 used the Severn crossings in each month of each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: Tolls are levied on the westbound carriageways only from England to Wales. The following table sets out the annual revenue on the Severn Crossing for each class of vehicle (charging category) from 2004-08:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Total  Cars  LGV's  HGV's 
			 2004 66,371,000 37,937,000 8,852,000 19,582,000 
			 2005 69,499,000 40,121,000 9,457,000 19,921,000 
			 2006 72,008,000 41,018,000 10,149,000 20,841,000 
			 2007 76,101,000 43,137,000 11,025,000 21,939,000 
			 2008 77,949,000 44,516,000 11,607,000 21,826,000 
		
	
	The following table sets out how many category 3 vehicles used the Severn Crossing—by each month and annually from 2004-08)
	
		
			  Number 
			   2008  2007  2006  2005  2004 
			 January 137,759 134,869 129,761 127,078 129,840 
			 February 136,686 129,896 126,091 128,835 128,570 
			 March 135,672 149,375 148,576 142,514 149,912 
			 April 142,564 138,498 132,031 142,484 138,525 
			 May 141,324 148,754 145,714 138,623 138,604 
			 June 137,414 145,641 147,376 145,306 146,776 
			 July 144,900 151,450 143,295 142,417 148,518 
			 August 129,931 146,676 143,308 140,714 139,502 
			 September 138,264 141,487 142,566 143,872 147,489 
			 October 142,618 154,104 148,308 143,056 144,250 
			 November 128,216 151,385 149,910 146,799 148,896 
			 December 119,414 126,566 126,594 127,921 132,820 
			 Total 1,634,672 1,718,710 1,683,530 1,669,619 1,693,702

Speed Limits: Schools

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will encourage local highway authorities to adopt variable speed limits on roads past schools.

Paul Clark: Local highways authorities already have powers to introduce variable 20 mph speed limits on roads outside schools if they believe it appropriate to do so.
	The Department for Transport guidance on setting local speed limits recommends local highways authorities consider introducing 20 mph speed limits, variable 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones in residential areas. This view is reinforced in the document "A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain's Roads the Safest in the World" published in April 2009.
	However, there are cost implications related to signing variable speed limits in accordance with regulations.
	The Department is working with several local highway authorities to trial more cost effective signing which, if successful, will enable all local highway authorities to more easily introduce variable 20 mph speed limits outside schools.

Trams: Railways

Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what progress his Department has made on its tram-train pilot.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is in discussions with Northern and Network Rail about the operation of a tram-train trail on the Penistone line and expects to make an announcement in due course.

Transport

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport in respect of which of his Department's  (a) projects and  (b) budgets underspend is planned in order to provide funding for the proposals contained in the Building Britain's Future document.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is continually assessing risk in its programmes. Its current judgment is that it will be able to provide up to £350 million from underspends by the end of the financial year.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Imports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence his Department holds on the effect of the ban on importation of wild birds into the EU on the number of reptiles imported into the EU since 2007.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We are aware of reports that the number of reptiles being imported into the EU has increased since 2007, but we do not have access to EU-wide statistics to substantiate these reports.

Avian Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure the availability of avian vaccines in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are currently reviewing our vaccine requirements in the event of vaccination being required as a control measure in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza. We expect to invite tenders on this shortly.

Central Science Laboratory: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff of the Central Science Laboratory in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: Amounts paid in bonuses to staff in the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) in each of the last four years are listed in the following table. Data for 2009 are not available because on 1 April 2009 CSL became part of the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera).
	
		
			  Bonus payments to CSL staff 
			   Directors  Senior managers  Specialist/Delivery managers  Executive support/Admin  Other 
			  2005  
			 Total paid in bonuses (£) 28,806 39,238 65,840 8,157 23,869 
			 Recipients 6 39 112 28 66 
			 Average (£) 4,801 1,006 588 291 362 
			   
			  2006  
			 Total paid in bonuses (£) 36,192 56,492 77,279 11,708 26,739 
			 Recipients 6 44 114 33 63 
			 Average (£) 6,032 1,284 678 355 424 
			   
			  2007  
			 Total paid in bonuses (£) 45,271 69,300 100,117 13,016 48,599 
			 Recipients 6 50 127 38 110 
			 Average (£) 7,545 1,386 788 343 442 
			   
			  2008  
			 Total paid in bonuses (£) 40,890 76,931 113,330 14,888 41,920 
			 Recipients 6 50 130 34 96 
			 Average (£) 6,815 1,539 872 438 437 
			   
			  2009( 1)  
			 Total paid in bonuses (£) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Recipients n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Average (£) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1 )Bonuses for 2009 are subject to the 2009 pay settlement which has not yet been agreed.   Source:  Individual pay records held on the ResourceLink payroll system.

Exmoor National Park: Public Appointments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people applied for appointment to the committee of the Exmoor National Park as one of his appointments on the last occasion on which such appointments were made; what criteria were used to decide whom to appoint; and what the  (a) name and  (b) job was of each person on the selection panel.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Five applications were received for the 2009 round of appointments to Exmoor national park authority.
	The Secretary of State members are appointed to the national park authorities to reflect the national importance placed on national parks. Such members will consider strategic issues such as responsibility for conservation, recreation, planning, access, land management and resources issues, as well as reflecting both local and national interests.
	The selection process followed the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment (OCPA) guidelines. The selection panel members were Doug Hulyer (panel chair)—Natural England Board, Councillor John Dyke—chairman of Exmoor national park authority and Tony Swabe—OCPA independent assessor.

Floods: South West

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flood defence schemes are under construction in the Wessex Water area; and how many such schemes were planned for this year in the capital funding programme for such schemes.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Within the Wessex area the Environment Agency has 20 flood defence schemes under way and has planned works at 14 other locations. Local authorities have work under way at Weston-super-Mare as well as work planned at Bristol Harbour for later in the year.

Incidental Catches of Cetaceans in Fisheries (England) Order 2005

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking in respect of fishing vessels that do not comply with the provisions of the Incidental Catches of Cetaceans in Fisheries (England) Order 2005;
	(2)  how many UK fishing vessels of 12 metres or more in length using gillnets or entangling nets comply with the provisions of the Incidental Catches of Cetaceans in Fisheries (England) Order 2005 on the use of acoustic deterrents on nets.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK is committed to enforcing all aspects of Council Regulation 812/2004 and the provisions of the Incidental Catches of Cetaceans in Fisheries (England) Order 2005 in order to minimise cetacean by-catch.
	The Marine and Fisheries agency (MFA) monitor compliance through the inspection activities of the Royal Navy fishery protection squadron. In addition, the MFA conducts training courses for the fisheries protection squadron who undertake boarding at sea. This has led to increased industry awareness of cetacean by-catch issues.
	The use of acoustic deterrent devices as specified under Council Regulation 812/2004 has been problematic for the UK and for other member states. UK fishing vessels have identified pinger deployment and safety issues during fishing operations. We reported our concerns to the European Commission and we have been given scientific dispensation to start a research programme to develop appropriate and effective pingers that are safe for our fishers to use.
	The UK's research into acoustic deterrent devices is being carried out on behalf of DEFRA by the sea mammal research unit (SMRU). SMRU, in collaboration with SeaFish and the industry are currently testing a dolphin dissuasive device (DDD) and they are looking at the effects these devices may have on the population distribution of harbour porpoises. Initial results on the efficacy of these pingers are promising.

Marine Management Organisation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects an equality impact assessment of the location of the headquarters of the future Marine Management Organisation to be made.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The "initial" and "partial" phases of an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) have already been completed on the relocation of the headquarters of the proposed new Marine Management Organisation. The final phase—which will see completion of the "full" EqIA—is currently in process and we still await the outcome of the location of a suitable office for the MMO on Tyneside. Subject to considerations around that however, we aim to finalise the EqIA by the end of August 2009.

Origin Marking: EC Countries

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had at EU level on the introduction of country of origin labelling for all food products traded between EU member states.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	There have been no discussions at European Union level on country of origin labelling for foods traded between EU member states.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) remuneration and  (b) pension entitlement is provided for each board member of the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Dan Norris: This information is provided in the Waste and Resources Action Programme's Annual Report and Accounts, the latest copy of which is available on its website.

Water Charges

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of average level of domestic water rates in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table sets out the average water bill for each company in England and Wales for the past 10 years.
	
		
			  Average water and sewerage bill in 2009-10 prices 
			  £ 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Water and sewerage companies   
			 Anglian 330 328 328 332 335 352 363 381 387 393 
			 Dwr Cymru 345 342 344 338 339 365 377 390 399 404 
			 North West 292 282 285 293 317 325 344 361 369 377 
			 Northumbrian (incl. Essex and Suffolk)   
			 Northumbrian 257 252 250 251 275 289 296 302 300 298 
			 Essex and Suffolk 138 138 138 138 152 161 164 170 169 168 
			 Severn Trent 258 257 253 258 263 283 294 297 299 305 
			 South West 404 392 408 406 431 455 484 506 499 489 
			 Southern 307 303 302 305 303 336 349 353 361 370 
			 Thames 246 248 247 246 247 286 291 299 297 295 
			 Wessex 313 306 306 319 332 359 375 395 405 413 
			 Yorkshire (incl. York) 272 271 271 280 288 302 314 319 327 330 
			 Yorkshire 272 272 272 (1)— — — — — — — 
			 York 116 112 112 — — — — — — — 
			
			  Water only companies   
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire 128 123 122 125 130 144 146 146 142 136 
			 Bristol 131 132 133 133 129 147 149 152 156 157 
			 Cambridge 116 116 113 110 109 121 120 123 116 116 
			 Dee Valley 138 134 130 129 126 131 127 124 130 130 
			 Folkestone and Dover 152 153 160 165 168 174 181 187 188 182 
			 Mid Kent 149 153 156 158 154 168 163 164 163 171 
			 Portsmouth 96 94 93 92 91 91 90 91 92 92 
			 South East 152 156 153 153 154 179 166 173 169 169 
			 South Staffs 111 109 107 106 107 116 120 122 123 123 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 149 150 154 150 151 167 169 169 164 161 
			 Tendring Hundred 170 174 178 186 189 190 183 172 178 176 
			 Three Valleys (incl. North Surrey) 136 137 138 138 141 158 157 160 166 166 
			 Three Valleys 137 138 139 (1)— — — — — — — 
			 North Surrey 132 129 132 — — — — — — — 
			 (1) Companies merged. Only submitted one principal statement.

Water: Meters

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to promote the installation of water meters in newly-built dwellings.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In general, newly-built houses are fitted with water meters.

Water: Meters

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water meters were installed by water supply companies in homes in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry, does not hold data on how many meters are installed in individual constituencies.
	The following figures show how many water meters Three Valleys Water installed in its water supply area in the last three years. This includes the constituency of Hemel Hempstead.
	
		
			  Three Valleys Water 
			   Number of meters installed  ( households ) 
			 2006-07 40,933 
			 2007-08 30,351 
			 2008-09 28,247

Wessex Flood Defence Committee

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much remuneration the chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee received in each of the last three years; and how much he received in expenses  (a) in total and  (b) for overseas visits in each of those years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table shows the salary and expenses of the chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee over the last three years. There have been no claims for overseas visits on behalf of the Environment Agency.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Salary  Expenses 
			 2006-07 16,397.00 3,045.48 
			 2007-08 16,823.00 3,485.89 
			 2008-09 17,244.00 4,173.20

PRIME MINISTER

Sir Alan Sugar

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Prime Minister on what date Sir Alan Sugar accepted the role of the Government's Enterprise Champion; and on what date he was officially appointed to that position.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 452W. I also refer the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 6 July 2009. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19941
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Bloody Sunday inquiry has cost to date.

Shaun Woodward: The cost of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry to the end of May 2009 is £188 million, including legal costs incurred by the Ministry of Defence.

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many centres for victims of domestic violence have opened in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: There are 12 refuges for victims of domestic violence throughout Northern Ireland. These are managed by the Women's Aid Federation for Northern Ireland and are funded by the Department for Social Development (DSD) through the "Supporting People" initiative. In addition DSD fund the "Sanctuary Scheme" which provides security measures for women who wish to remain in their current home.
	While none of these refuges opened in the last 12 months, I announced in December 2008 a capital investment of £350,000 to resource the final phase of refurbishment to the Women's Resource Centre (The Naomi Centre) in Ballymena. This centre will provide services to more than 2,000 victims and their families every year and was officially opened on 30 June.
	Government also fund a 24-hour freephone Domestic Violence Helpline (managed by Women's Aid) for all victims of domestic violence. Respect who provide a phone line for perpetrators wishing to change their behaviour also receive Government funding for this service.
	Government are also committed to introducing Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) throughout Northern Ireland by autumn this year.

Firearms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions were secured in Northern Ireland of a person using an illegal firearm in the course of the crime in 2008.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available in the format requested as the court databases do not contain background information in relation to offences committed; for instance, it is not possible to specify the number of convictions where an illegal firearm was used in relation to murder.
	It is possible, however, to provide conviction statistics for firearm-related offences as specified by firearms legislation, including those that relate to the possession, hiring, distribution or supply of firearms. In 2006 (the latest year for which data are available), there were 56 such convictions.
	Data are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Northern Ireland Compensation Agency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the backlog of outstanding claims to the Compensation Agency in Northern Ireland to be cleared.

Paul Goggins: The Agency does not have a backlog of claims. The processing of all claims begins as soon as they are received. The Compensation Agency seeks continually to improve its service to applicants by reducing the time taken to process claims, as required by its Framework Document.
	The following table shows the Agency's progress.
	
		
			   New claims received  Claims in hand at start of year  Claims in hand at end of year 
			 2004-05 7,797 23,687 17,861 
			 2005-06 7,424 17,613 12,841 
			 2006-07 6,317 13,297 10,790 
			 2007-08 5,655 10,814 8,771 
			 2008-09 6,130 7,957 7,378 
			  Note: The figures for claims in hand include claims under review or where an appeal has been lodged.

Offensive Weapons

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many assaults in which a knife was involved were recorded in Northern Ireland in the last 12 month period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people under the age of 18 years were the victims of crime involving a knife in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many crimes involving a knife were recorded in each local authority area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: These data are collated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I have asked the Chief Constable to reply directly to the hon. Gentleman, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland: Equality

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the outcome was of the screening workshops held recently under the Public Prosecution Service equality scheme in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Gentleman, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Calor Gas: Canvey Island

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects to publish the report on the escape of liquefied petroleum gas on the Canvey Island Calor Gas site in October 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will not be publishing a report into its investigation into the release of liquefied petroleum gas at Calor Gas Ltd.'s Canvey Island site in October 2008. This investigation is still ongoing. HSE does not routinely publish incident investigation reports but, as previously undertaken, will arrange to brief the hon. Member as soon as this is appropriate.

Disability Living Allowance

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of claims for disability living allowance in respect of young people with autism have been awarded in each year since 2001.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 8 July 2009
	In October 2008 the set of codes used to record the disabling condition for disability living allowance changed. Primary and Secondary codes replaced codes for Care and Mobility and more fine detail was introduced with respect to disabling condition. Prior to October 2008, there were fewer than 50 categories for disabling condition, but now there are over 500. This information is available for statistical analysis from November 2008.
	However, codes for existing disability living allowance claimants were not updated, so the number of cases with new codes is extremely small compared to the total numbers in receipt of disability living allowance. It is, therefore, not yet possible to produce an estimate of the total number of people claiming disability living allowance with a main disabling condition of autism.

New Deal Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her latest estimate is of the budget for phase one of the Flexible New Deal.

Jim Knight: Expenditure on the flexible new deal is dependant on both the actual numbers of starts on provision, and the success of providers in getting jobseekers into work. Performance offers are subject to on going commercial negotiation.
	Flexible new deal forms part of the support for long-term unemployed budget. I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to her on 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 158W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Astley Park

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date the application by Chorley borough council for a grant for modernisation work at Astley Park in Chorley was received by the Heritage Lottery Fund; how much funding was  (a) applied for and  (b) awarded; and on what date the grant was awarded. [Official Report, 14 September 2009, Vol. 496, c. 37MC.]

Si�n Simon: Advice from the Heritage Lottery Fund is that it received the application by Chorley borough council for a grant for modernisation work at Astley Park in December 2004. The monetary value of grant applied for was 2,004,000, and the monetary value of grant awarded was 2,004,000. The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the grant to Chorley borough council on 1 April 2005. Chorley borough council received a grant increase of 373,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund on 27 September 2007, bringing the total grant award to 2,377,000.

Big Lottery Fund: Campaign for Better Transport

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the Big Lottery Fund has allocated to the Campaign for Better Transport; and for what projects such funding was allocated.

Si�n Simon: The Big Lottery Fund has informed me that it has provided no funding to the Campaign for Better Transport.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Government have allocated to ensuring good digital radio signal reception in all areas of the UK in each of the next three years.

Si�n Simon: As set out in the recently published Digital Britain White Paper, the Government recognise that building out a Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) infrastructure which meets the needs of broadcasters, multiplex operators and listeners, including improving the quality of the signal, will require additional investment. However, the Digital Radio Upgrade programme, alongside the proposals on co-location and licence-renewals, will offer significant cost-savings for commercial broadcasters, some of which must support investment in improving coverage.
	In areas where the BBC's need to deliver universal access is not matched by the economic realities of the local commercial market, the BBC will need to bear a significant portion of the costs. The full cost cannot be left to the BBC alone. It is our intention that where possible the BBC and national commercial multiplex operator should work together to ensure that any new transmitters benefit both BBC and commercial multiplexes. Partnerships between the BBC and commercial local multiplex operators will be even more important at a local DAB level.
	We will work with the BBC, transmission providers and Ofcom to agree a plan for the extension and improvement of local DAB coverage, and where the cost would most appropriately fall.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to reply to the letters of 7 May and 15 June 2009 from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on the Friends of Kempley Churches, reference FD3057.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 8 July 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 7 July 2009.

National Skills Academies: Thurrock

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the contribution of the proposed National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills in Thurrock to the London 2012 Olympic events including training and technical support; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: holding answer 29 June 2009
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding the Creative and Cultural National Skills Academy (NSA).
	London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games' Culture and Ceremonies teams have had informal discussions with the NSA as part of the organising committee's initial work on workforce needs for 2012, but no decisions have been made on the academy's involvement.
	However, the NSA offers a great opportunity to engage with Olympic events as a training and technical support venue for the opening, closing and medal ceremonies. Regional involvement in the development of a cultural Olympic legacy is paramount to raising the aspirations for young people in the region.

Tourism: Disabled

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to make tourist attractions more accessible to disabled people.

Barbara Follett: My Department works closely with the tourism industry to ensure that there is good access for disabled people at attractions throughout the United Kingdom. As part of the quality assessment scheme, tourism business in the UK are required to prepare an access statement describing their current services and facilities so that disabled people can decide if they meet their particular needs. Accessibility best practice is now incorporated into the new Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) criteria and its quality guidance booklet.
	In addition the DCMS has set up the Accessible Tourism Stakeholders Forum to help to deliver improvements in this area which was a central theme in our Tourism Strategy for 2012. VisitEngland has recently published Easy Does It, a guide for setting out how tourism businesses can achieve simple, low cost changes to benefit themselves and their disabled customers.
	Most recently DCMS, along with VisitEngland, VisitScotland, VisitWales, and other public bodies, has supported the launch of Open Britain, a definitive guide book and website for people with disabilities and special access requirements.

JUSTICE

British Constitution: Ministerial Statements

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 10 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 795-99, on constitutional renewal, when he will set out further plans to look at broadening the application of freedom of information to include additional bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: We will publish our full response to the consultation on designating additional public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act through a section 5 order by the summer.

Driving: Convictions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many drivers were convicted of driving while exceeding the blood alcohol limit with levels of alcohol of  (a) 80 to 90,  (b) 91 to 100,  (c) 101 to 110,  (d) 111 to 120,  (e) 121 to 130,  (f) 131 to 140,  (g) 141 to 150,  (h) 151 to 160,  (i) 161 to 170,  (j) 171 to 180,  (k) 181 to 190,  (l) 191 to 200 and  (m) over 200mg per 100ml of blood in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many drivers have been convicted of  (a) driving under the influence of alcohol with a level of alcohol in excess of 80mg per 100ml of blood and  (b) failing to provide a specimen of blood in each year since 1980.

Claire Ward: Available information on the number of findings of guilt at all courts for offences of driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, by offence type, in England and Wales for the years 1994 to 2007 (latest available) is given in the table. Data held centrally on the Court Proceedings Database by the Ministry of Justice do not identify the amount by which the prescribed limit was exceeded.
	Information for the years prior to 1994 can be found on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website under Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables. See following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/motor1.html
	
		
			  Number of findings of guilt for offences of driving etc .  after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, by offence type, 1994 to 2007( 1) , England and Wales 
			  Number of offences 
			  Offence type  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment) 1,899 1,809 1,865 1,930 1,939 2,005 1,826 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 73,733 77,115 81,046 84,929 78,799 74,427 71,214 
			 Driving and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 8,192 8,068 7,712 8,112 7,359 8,091 8,232 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) 368 365 376 408 416 415 388 
			 In charge of motor vehicle with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 1,670 1,827 1,887 2,120 2,340 2,108 1,938 
			 In charge of motor vehicle and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 666 501 472 489 517 592 741 
			 Failing to provide specimen for initial breath test 3,172 2,821 2,348 2,214 1,746 1,724 1,490 
			 Failing to allow specimens of blood to be subjected to laboratory test n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Unfit to drive through drink (impairment) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Unfit to drive through drugs (impairment) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink (impairment) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drugs (impairment) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total 89,700 92,505 95,705 100,202 93,116 89,361 85,829 
		
	
	
		
			  Offence type  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Unfit to drive through drink or drugs (impairment) 1,937 2,129 2,261 1,552 1,093 918 845 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 70,091 74,499 77,712 80,383 78,108 78,027 74,885 
			 Driving and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 8,208 8,900 9,185 9,188 9,361 8,991 9,096 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) 404 487 449 457 301 226 213 
			 In charge of motor vehicle with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 2,134 2,280 1,886 1,779 1,882 1,760 1,585 
			 In charge of motor vehicle and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 658 891 967 1,070 985 914 921 
			 Failing to provide specimen for initial breath test 1,310 1,302 1,240 1,182 932 770 572 
			 Failing to allow specimens of blood to be subjected to laboratory test n/a n/a (2)2 5 13 12 12 
			 Unfit to drive through drink (impairment) n/a n/a (3)n/a 348 530 479 473 
			 Unfit to drive through drugs (impairment) n/a n/a (3)n/a 203 363 414 383 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drink (impairment) n/a n/a (3)n/a 56 120 134 209 
			 In charge of motor vehicle while unfit through drugs (impairment) n/a n/a (3)n/a 15 29 26 29 
			 Total 84,472 90,488 93,702 96,238 93,717 92,671 89,223 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) Authorised under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s.7A as added by the Police Reform Act 2002, s.56 and Transport and Works Act 1992 as added by the Police Reform Act 2002 s.52 which came into force in July 2002. (3) Prior to 2004 data were published covering both drink and drugs offences combined as they could not reliably be distinguished separately.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis Unit.

Human Rights Joint Committee

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to respond to the Ninth Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of Session 2006-07, The Meaning of Public Authority under the Human Rights Act HC 410; for what reasons he has not yet responded to the report; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: My noble Friend the Baroness Ashton of Upholland, then Minister for Human Rights, wrote to the hon. Member following the publication of the report in question. She explained that the Government could not at that point fully address the issues surrounding section 6 of the Human Rights Act until the implications of the judgment in YL  v. Birmingham city council were known. The Government have since legislated to overturn the principal effects of that judgment through section 145 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and are also committed to consulting further on the scope of the Human Rights Act. We believe those of the issues raised in the Joint Committee's report that remain relevant following these developments can best be addressed in that context.

Political Parties: Finance

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require headquarters of political parties to disclose their spending in each constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Government have no such plans.
	The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 imposes requirements on political parties to keep accounting records showing sums of money received and expended by the party, and to publish annual statements of accounts. As to form and content, the 2000 Act indicates that these statements of accounts should comply with requirements which may be prescribed by regulations made by the Electoral Commission. Since 2008, the commission has been working with political parties to agree standard requirements for statements of accounts. The commission has stated that it will continue to discuss the issue with the parties, with the aim of achieving improved transparency while imposing the minimum necessary burden on parties and their staff, many of whom are volunteers.
	The Government believe that any accounting requirements on parties should take account of both the need for transparency and for any requirements to be both reasonable and proportionate.

Prison Sentences

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average  (a) length and  (b) proportion of the sentence served by each offender sentenced for (i) violence against the person, (ii) sexual offences and (iii) robbery was served in a category (A) A, (B) B, (C) C and (D) D prison in each of the last 12 years for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: The average sentence length and proportion of time served for all prisoners discharged from determinate sentences, for the three offence groups requested, in the years 1999 to 2007 are in the following tables.
	
		
			  Average sentence lengthadults 
			  Months 
			  Average sentence length  Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery 
			 1999 17 39 49 
			 2000 17 40 49 
			 2001 17 43 50 
			 2002 17 45 47 
			 2003 17 45 46 
			 2004 17 48 47 
			 2005 16 48 48 
			 2006 15 45 48 
			 2007 16 50 48 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of time servedadults 
			  Percentage 
			  Proportion of sentenced served  Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery 
			 1999 57 62 60 
			 2000 57 64 60 
			 2001 57 64 61 
			 2002 57 64 60 
			 2003 56 65 59 
			 2004 57 65 61 
			 2005 57 65 63 
			 2006 60 65 67 
			 2007 62 66 69 
		
	
	
		
			  Average sentence lengthyoung offenders 
			  Months 
			  Average sentence length  Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery 
			 1999 11 21 23 
			 2000 11 21 23 
			 2001 10 22 21 
			 2002 11 21 22 
			 2003 12 22 23 
			 2004 11 18 23 
			 2005 13 29 24 
			 2006 12 24 23 
			 2007 12 27 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of time servedyoung offenders 
			  Percentage 
			  Proportion of sentenced served  Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery 
			 1999 55 57 55 
			 2000 55 60 54 
			 2001 55 58 54 
			 2002 53 60 53 
			 2003 51 61 51 
			 2004 52 61 52 
			 2005 53 63 53 
			 2006 54 60 53 
			 2007 56 61 55 
		
	
	Data before 1999 are not available.
	Data relating to time served in each prison are not held centrally and can not be obtained without exceeding cost limits.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Devolution Commission

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what  (a) financial and  (b) other support the UK Government has made available to support the work of the Calman Commission.

Ann McKechin: The UK Government provided around 500,000 for the commission's work, which concluded on 15 June 2009 with the publication of the final report. The report which was widely welcomed across Scotland was presented jointly to the Scottish Parliament and the UK Government as co-sponsors.
	During the commission's consideration the UK Government provided evidence and factual information to assist the commission with its deliberations. Both the Scottish Parliament, UK Parliament and the UK Government also provided resources such as committee rooms and technical support for some of the commission's oral evidence sessions.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland indicated in his written ministerial statement to the House on 15 June 2009,  Official Report, column 5WS, the Government warmly welcome this report.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Parliament: Internet

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 497W, on Parliament: internet, when the new area of the Parliament website focusing on Parliament's heritage will be launched; whether it will include audio files; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The new area of Parliament's website focusing on Parliament's heritage was launched on 2 July 2009 and can be found at:
	www.parliament.uk/livingheritage
	Relevant audio content will be added to this area over the coming weeks either as embedded files or as links to audio content elsewhere on the Parliament website. For example a podcast about the suffragettes is currently being produced and will be published in the near future.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Invincible class aircraft carriers can be serviced from HM Naval Base Faslane.

Quentin Davies: The feasibility of deep maintenance upkeep work, such as refits and docking periods, being carried out to the Invincible Class aircraft carriers at HM Naval Base Clyde was considered as part of the Naval Base Review. It was assessed that as the berths at Faslane were designed to accommodate submarines further work would be required to make them suitable to accommodate the heavier aircraft carriers. In addition, there are insufficient waterfront facilities, such as for equipment storage and ship's company living accommodation, available to allow deep maintenance work to be carried out there. However, other maintenance work such as that carried out onboard the ship by its company and which does not require the vessel to be berthed for a significant period of time, can be carried out at the naval base.

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the planned Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will be based at HM Naval Base Faslane.

Quentin Davies: Neither of the two aircraft carriers in the Queen Elizabeth Class will be base ported at Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde. As the then Minister for the Armed Forces, the right hon. Member for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr. Ingram) announced on 2 July 2002,  Official Report, column 232W, both aircraft carriers are to be based at HMNB Portsmouth.

Armed Forces: Food

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) chicken,  (b) beef,  (c) lamb and  (d) pork supplied to the British armed forces was sourced from within the British Isles in the latest period for which information is available.

Quentin Davies: A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. These two reports covering the years 2006-08 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/awareness.htm
	The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat categories purchased.
	Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by MOD has gone up from 43 per cent. in 2006-07 to 59 per cent. in 2007-08. We expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost is of fitting a kitchen in a service family accommodation unit under his Department's upgrade programme.

Kevan Jones: It is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the average cost of installing a kitchen in a service family accommodation property, as the cost will depend on a number of variables. For example, not only does the size of kitchen and amount of work required vary from property to property (plumbing, wiring, plastering, tiling, etc), but the cost will be dependent on the number of properties included in a programme on any given site.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Willie Rennie) of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 380W, on armed forces: housing, for which geographical area each grading board is responsible.

Kevan Jones: Grading boards are convened at brigade or unit level rather than by geographical area and therefore the information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of units of  (a) single living accommodation and  (b) service family accommodation at each location in Scotland are at each grade.

Kevan Jones: At each of the following locations in Scotland, as at December 2008 single living accommodation (SLA) was at the following grade, an assessment of the condition of both the accommodation and 'scale' (as defined in Joint Service Publication 315 which is available to view on the Defence Estates website:
	http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/publications/jsp/jsp315/volumel/
	
		
			   Grade 1  Grade 2  Grade  3  Grade  4  Total SLA bed-spaces at each location 
			  Location  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  
			 Craigiehall, Edinburgh   70 100 70 
			 Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh 420 100   420 
			 HMS Neptune, Faslane 1,565 85   281 15   1,846 
			 Fort George, Inverness   19 4 122 26 329 70 470 
			 Glencorse Barracks, Milton Bridge, Penicuik 418 100   418 
			 RAF Kinloss 224 47 248 53 472 
			 RAF Leuchars   141 17 331 41 345 42 817 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 95 11 706 81 66 8   867 
			 Redford Barracks, Edinburgh 58 11 113 21 282 53 83 15 536 
			 RM Condor 83 9 300 32 566 59   949 
			 HMS Caledonia, Rosyth 28 6 416 94 444 
			 The Castle, Edinburgh   92 100 92 
			 Total SLA bed-spaces at each grade 2,443 33 1,527 21 2,096 28 1,335 18 7,401 
		
	
	Details of service family accommodation (SFA) cannot be provided on the same basis as for SLA. However, SFA properties in each of the Department's housing areas in Scotland are at the following Standard for Condition:
	
		
			   S 1 fC  S2fC  S3fC  S4fC  Total SFA properties in each area 
			  Housing area  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  No.  %  
			 Scotland East (inc. RM Condor, Edinburgh, RAF Leuchars) 1,364 98 32 2   -  1,396 
			 Scotland West (inc. Glasgow, Paisley, RN Faslane) 664 96 26 4 690 
			 Scotland North (inc. RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss, Inverness) 1,092 96 44 4 5 (1)   1,141 
			 Total SFA properties at each standard 3,120 97 102 3 5 (1)   3,227 
			 (1) Less than 1 per cent.

Armed Forces: Housing

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reported break-ins to service personnel accommodation there have been in Scotland in each year since 2004.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Uniforms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of progress in respect of the cut and sew contract for army uniforms; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The cut and sew contract tendering process began in April 2009, with nearly 50 companies expressing interest. A pre-qualification exercise is currently under way and the contract is scheduled to be awarded later this year.

Defence Council: Defence Ministerial Council

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the  (a) Defence Council and  (b) Defence Ministerial Committee has met in the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Council has met once, on 18 October 2006. The Defence Ministerial Committee was established in 2008 and has met on the following dates: 20 May 2008, 25 June 2008, 17 September 2008, 13 November 2008, 17 December 2008, 4 March 2009 and 3 June 2009. This information is available on the MOD website found at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/DefenceManagement/

Defence: Procurement

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for implementation of the European Defence Agency code of conduct on offsets; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The European Defence Agency (EDA) code of conduct on offsets came into effect on 1 July 2009. A reporting and monitoring system, which also became operational on 1 July 2009, will be used to manage the practical implementation of the code, covering offset agreements signed from this date onwards. 25 of the 26 EDA participating member states have subscribed to the code of conduct on offsets and its reporting arrangements. In addition, Norway has subscribed to the code of conduct under its administrative arrangement with the EDA.

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any contracts with the think tank Demos.

Kevan Jones: Information held centrally indicates that the Ministry of Defence has no current contracts with the think tank Demos.

Departmental Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information databases his Department  (a) maintain and  (b) uses which do not contain personal information.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational sorties have been flown by each aircraft type deployed to  (a) Iraq,  (b) Afghanistan and  (c) other locations in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Decorations: Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many families in Crosby constituency he estimates will receive the Elizabeth Cross in 2009.

Kevan Jones: It is estimated that the next of kin (NOK) of some 8,000 armed forces personnel, who have died on operations, or as a result of an act of terrorism, from 1 January 1948 to date, will be eligible to receive the Elizabeth Cross and Memorial Scroll. The eligibility criteria and how to apply were outlined by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Ainsworth) in his written ministerial statement of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 18-21WS. It is not possible for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to determine how many NOK will actually apply, when they may choose to apply and where they live. Therefore it is not possible to identify how many families in the Crosby constituency will receive the Elizabeth Cross in 2009.

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a sale site of RAF Lyneham would be subject to the Crichel Down rules.

Kevan Jones: RAF Lyneham was acquired under 61 conveyances, between the years 1940 and 1987, and the whole site will be subject to the Crichel Down Rules. If the site is declared surplus, Defence Estates will consider the Crichel Down position to determine whether, in certain circumstances, any land is to be offered back to former owners or their successors in title. This procedure will have to be finalised prior to any marketing of the site.

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate Defence Estates have made of the monetary value of a vacated RAF Lyneham.

Kevan Jones: It is not our practice to make public any estimate of the value of disposal sites as to do so could prejudice bids for the site. However, Defence Estates sells its surplus land and property in accordance with Treasury Guidelines (Managing Public Money) which requires us to get the best price reasonably obtainable (i.e. market value).

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of decontaminating the site of RAF Lyneham.

Kevan Jones: No estimate of the cost of decontaminating RAF Lyneham has yet been made. A Land Quality Assessment will only be commissioned once the site has been formally declared surplus.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Billing

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many days on average  (a) her Office and  (b) the Government Olympic Executive has taken to pay invoices from suppliers in each month since November 2008.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 2 July 2009
	Data on the time taken to pay invoices are recorded in terms of the proportions paid within 10 days and 30 days. The figures for the Government Olympic Executive for November 2008 to May 2009 (latest available) are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Total number of invoices  Number paid within 30 days  Percentage  Number paid within 10 days  Percentage 
			 November 2008 55 54 98 43 78 
			 December 2008 63 63 100 54 86 
			 January 2009 63 63 100 55 87 
			 February 2009 54 54 100 53 98 
			 March 2009 71 71 100 68 96 
			 April 2009 81 80 99 73 90 
			 May 2009 56 56 100 54 96 
		
	
	Invoices submitted to my Office as Minister for the Olympics are processed by the Government Olympic Executive and are, therefore, included in the figures given here.
	The Executive complies with the Government's policy of paying its suppliers as soon as possible and from 1 December 2008 aims to achieve all payments within 10 days.

Olympic Games 2012: Ashford Kent

Damian Green: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her latest assessment is of the legacy for Ashford constituency for the London 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I was delighted to award Kent county council (KCC) a Beacon Award for its work on Olympic and Paralympic legacy earlier this year. This award recognised the council's clear vision and determined approach to games legacy and its programme of bespoke 2012 projects across the county, and Ashford is part of the supporting county partnership.
	The Kent Co-ordinating Group for the 2012 games, on which Ashford borough council is represented, plays a key role in this partnership and aims to derive the maximum benefits from the games for the county. It has set up nine task groups to co-ordinate action across Kent on: arts; communications and media; economic development and regeneration; schools and young people; sport; tourism; transport; and volunteering.
	Kent has already made good progress with its Olympic and Paralympic legacy in these areas through initiatives such as the Kent School Games which in 2008 had 30,000 participants from over 500 schools including those in Ashford. In terms of Paralympic legacy, KCC has increased its disability sport associate officers network to cover 15 of the 19 summer Paralympics sports and two of the four winter sports. Kent also has the highest sign up in the South East (SE) of England for the Get Set School Programme and businesses registered for Competefor, the London 2012 brokerage system. Steps have also been taken to raise awareness of the importance of tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses to the Kent economy in the lead up to the games through initiatives such as the third successful 'Kent's Big Day Out' event to be held each year in the run up to the games. This year's event held on 28 March 2009 saw over 17,000 vouchers offered to participants for free entry to 143 venues across the county including in Ashford.
	It is also pleasing to see that there are a broad range of initiatives and programmes across the SE associated with building a legacy from the games. The SE currently has nine projects that have been awarded the Inspire Mark of which four are in Kent. There were around 70 events held in the SE during Open Weekend which launched the Cultural Olympiad in September 2008, of which, around 10 were in Kent. To celebrate London officially becoming host to the 2012 games handover events were held in the SE on 24 August 2008. Ashford played a significant role in these celebrations hosting a Free Swim day to mark the raising of the Olympic Handover Flag.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether the performance of subcontractors not directly contracted by the Olympic Delivery Authority is monitored against the balanced scorecard criteria for procurement.

Tessa Jowell: Subcontractor performance is managed and monitored by the main contractors to the ODA. The ODA requires main contractors to apply good procurement practice as part of a rigorous supply chain management; however, the precise methods of subcontractor performance management are for main contractors to both define and implement.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on poppy cultivation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK is supporting the Afghan Government in the implementation of its national drug control strategy. The strategy is a comprehensive long-term approach towards countering narcotics. It provides 'carrots', including the promotion and support for alternative livelihoods and the building of Afghan institutions and 'sticks' through law enforcement actions such as targeted poppy eradication and interdiction.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the UN Secretary-General on his recent visit to Burma, with particular reference to the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ivan Lewis: Both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary discuss Burma regularly with the UN Secretary-General. The Prime Minister most recently spoke to Ban Ki-Moon on 21 June 2009, prior to his visit to Burma, and they may speak again at the G8 summit. The Foreign Secretary is seeking to identify an early opportunity to speak to the UN Secretary-General about the visit and the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi.

BBC External Services

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding the BBC World Service has received from his Department through grant in aid in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: The BBC World Service has received the following grant in aid funding over the last three years:
	
		
			million 
			 2008-09 265 
			 2007-08 255 
			 2006-07 239.5

Burma

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department will next review UK economic sanctions against Burma; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK pursues sanctions against the Burmese regime as part of a wider EU Common Position. Sanctions are renewed annually in April, but the EU has repeatedly made clear its readiness to review, amend or reinforce existing sanctions on the basis of developments on the ground. On 19 June 2009, EU leaders made clear that the EU would respond to a failure to release Aung San Suu Kyi with additional targeted measures.

Departmental Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK gross domestic product  (a) allocated to and  (b) spent by his Department in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 3 July 2009
	The 1997-98 appropriation accounts for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) show 2,924,205,000 as the net supply grant, which is the total of cash then voted by Parliament, of which 2,871,037,000 was spent. Against a money gross domestic product (GDP) of 843,145,000,000 for 1997-98, the FCO parliamentary supply figure represents 0.347 per cent. of GDP and the corresponding spend represents 0.341 per cent.
	However, it should be noted that the appropriation accounts for 1997-98 include 1.8 billion of supply and expenditure for what is now the Department for International Development. This is the largest of the various machinery of government and public expenditure measurement changes that occurred between 1997-98 and 2008-09 which make comparisons of spending figures between the two financial years difficult.
	The 2008-09 resource accounts for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office show a net cash requirement of 2,171,707,000, which is the total amount of cash voted by Parliament, of which 2,072,002,000 was spent. Against a money GDP of 1,432,148,000,000 for 2008-09, the Foreign and Commonwealth office parliamentary supply figure represents 0.152 per cent. of GDP and the corresponding spend represents 0.145 per cent.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has already started the process of updating its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Departmental Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of his Department's staff deployed in each region of Iraq  (a) have been trained in each year since 2003 and  (b) are being trained in each local Iraqi language.

Chris Bryant: Since 2004, 58 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff have studied Modern Standard Arabic and one Sorani Kurdish before being deployed in Iraq. Currently there are eight staff studying Modern Standard Arabic who are due to be deployed to Iraq later this year or next. Since 2004, 323 FCO civil servants have been deployed to Iraq. There are currently 35 staff there.
	We only started to hold management information about language skills centrally in 2004. Our system records those who have passed exams on completion of language courses funded by the FCO, so may not include those who did not take an examination, those whose acquisition of the language was not the result of class-based instruction, or whose studies were not funded by the FCO.

Diplomatic Missions

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 June 2009,  Official Report, column 25WS, on diplomatic missions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter on outstanding business rate bills sent to diplomatic missions on 25 March 2009.

Chris Bryant: Yes. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Embassy Closures

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East, (Mr. Ellwood) of 6 February 2007,  Official Report, column 821W, on embassy closures, which  (a) UK High Commissions and Embassies and  (b) other UK diplomatic posts have closed in each year since 2007.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 3 July 2009
	Since 2007, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has closed three high commission offices in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (in 2007), St. John's, Antigua and St. George's, Grenada (both in 2008). Our high commissioner in Barbados remains accredited to all three countries.
	The FCO has also closed its consulate in Nagoya, Japan (in 2007) and its trade office in Aleppo, Syria (also 2007). The British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei closed its Southern Taiwan office in Kaohsiung in April 2009.
	During the same period, the FCO has opened embassy offices in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo; Juba, Sudan; and a British Interests Section in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
	The FCO continuously reviews the deployment of its resources and aligns them flexibly in line with UK interests to the benefit of the British taxpayer.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on terrorist organisations alleged to have been  (a) funded and  (b) supported by the Government of Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Due to the sensitive nature of the reporting concerned, we are unable to comment on this matter in detail.
	However, we have long had serious concerns about the support that Iran provides in the form of funding, training and arms supplies that are undermining peace in the Middle East through violence. Such support is unacceptable and only serves to undermine regional security. We hope that Iran will instead give political and diplomatic support to the Governments of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Authority in their attempts to build institutions and improve security.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iran about their alleged  (a) arming and  (b) funding of Hamas; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Our ambassador in Tehran raised the issue of Iranian support for Hamas at a meeting at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 12 January 2009. Our embassy also translated my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's Statement on Gaza, 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 21, into Farsi, circulated it to journalists and placed it on the Embassy's Farsi language website.
	The UK would like to see Iran making a positive contribution to creating a secure, stable and prosperous middle east. But its current behaviour is a cause for serious concern for us and others. Iran needs to work with the international community and its regional neighbours to restore confident in its intentions.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take during the next 12 months at the United Nations about the alleged (i) arming and (ii) funding of Hamas by Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have longstanding serious concerns about the support that Iran provides in the form of funding, training and arms supplies to groups which are undermining peace in the middle east through violence, including Hamas. Such support is unacceptable and only serves to undermine regional security. We regularly call on Iran to play a constructive role towards peace in the middle east, including through giving political and diplomatic support to the Palestinian authority in its attempts to build institutions and improve security.
	The UK-led UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1860 of 8 January 2009 is clear in its call to prevent the illicit trafficking of arms into Gaza. We continue to push for the full implementation of UNSCR 1860. The UK is at the forefront of counter-smuggling efforts, with officials attending a June meeting in Ottawa, which followed-up the 13 February 2009 London conference on tackling arms smuggling into Gaza.

Iran: Elections

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of Iranian Members of Parliament who boycotted the election victory party of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of several unconfirmed reports that many Iranian MPs did not attend President Ahmadinejad's election victory party; however we have not seen any credible reports concerning numbers nor why they did not attend.

Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel about freedom of worship for all faiths in Jerusalem; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK attaches great importance to guaranteeing access to Jerusalem and freedom of worship there for those of all faiths. The UK continues to support a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a new Palestinian state and guaranteed freedom of worship for all.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take during the next 12 months at the United Nations to seek to prevent (i) weapons and (ii) funds from the Government of Iran being sent to terrorist groups in (A) Afghanistan, (B) Iraq, (C) Gaza and (D) Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to take specific actions at the UN at this time. However, the UK led the way at the UN to achieve UN Security Council Resolution 1860 which makes clear the need to combat the smuggling of weapons through the tunnels into Gaza. We continue to push for full implementation of this resolution.
	We have serious concerns about Iranian support for Hezbollah. Iran provides Hezbollah with significant financial resources, military equipment and training. Arms supplies to Hezbollah are contrary to the arms embargo established by UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
	We have long-standing concerns about the support that Iran provides in the form of funding, arms and training to Palestinian Rejectionist Groups, including Hamas. These groups undermine peace in the Middle East through violence. We hope that Iran will instead give political and diplomatic support to the Palestinian Authority in its attempts to build institutions and improve security.
	We understand that members of al-Qaeda and affiliated groups have used, and possibly continue to use, Iran as a transit route for arms smuggling. We have urged Iran to act against this and co-operate fully with the international community against terrorism, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 1373.
	The UK would like to see Iran making a positive contribution to creating a secure, stable and prosperous Middle East, free from violence. But its current behaviour is a cause for serious concern for us and others. Iran needs to work with the international community and its regional neighbours to restore confidence in its intentions.

North Korea: Diplomatic Service

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many North Korean nationals were engaged at the British Embassy in Pyongyang in each of the last 10 years; what level of security clearance such employees must pass before engagement; and whether his Department has carried out any investigations into activities of such staff which are incompatible with their terms and conditions of employment in that period.

Ivan Lewis: An average of six North Korean nationals have worked as support staff at our embassy in Pyongyang every year since it opened in 2001. They are not employed directly by the embassy, but are seconded from the General Services Bureau, a department of the North Korean government. Consequently, they are not security cleared and do not work with, or have access to, any sensitive information.

Overseas Missions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much each British mission overseas owes in parking fines to the authorities in each country.

Chris Bryant: holding answer 7 July 2009
	This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Pakistan: Females

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the sexual abuse of women in Pakistan.

Ivan Lewis: The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, My hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron), visited Pakistan in February 2009 and met Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's former Minister for Women. She raised concerns about violence against women in the face of growing violent extremism in Pakistan and also expressed UK support to help the Government of Pakistan counter the impact of violent extremism on women's rights. Additionally, she stressed the need to take forward the recommendations made by the EU Election Observation Mission in 2008 to promote women's participation in Pakistan's parliament and public life.
	Our high commission in Islamabad works closely with the EU Special Representative and Human Rights Working Group of the EU member states in Pakistan to promote women's rights in Pakistan. With the EU, we have issued biannual demarches calling on the Government of Pakistan to review discriminatory legislation and fully implement its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
	Our high commission also supports programme and project work designed to strengthen the capacity of civil society to promote women's rights, help the Government of Pakistan achieve the Millennium Development Goals and take forward the recommendations made by the EU Election Observation Mission after Pakistan's elections in February 2008.

Spirit of Humanity: British Nationality

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government on the health of the British nationals on the vessel Spirit of Humanity.

Ivan Lewis: The Israeli navy took control of the vessel Spirit of Humanity and diverted it to Ashdod port in Israel, where all those on board, including six British nationals, were handed over to Israeli immigration officials. British consular officials had good access to the British detainees and confirmed they were all treated well. All six were deported and arrived in the UK on 6 July 2009.
	When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, on 1 July 2009, he raised the issue with him and asked for clarification of whether the Spirit of Humanity had been intercepted in international waters.

Spirit of Humanity: British Nationality

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals from the Gaza aid vessel, Spirit of Humanity have been detained by Israeli authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I can confirm the Israeli navy boarded the vessel Spirit of Humanity on 30 June 2009. The Israeli navy took control of the vessel and diverted it to Ashdod port in Israel, where all those on board, including six British nationals, were handed over to Israeli immigration officials. All six were deported and arrived in the UK on 6 July 2009.
	When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, on 1 July 2009, he raised the issue with him and asked for clarification of whether the Spirit of Humanity was intercepted in international waters.

Spirit of Humanity: British Nationality

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government on the legal status of the British nationals on the Gaza aid vessel, Spirit of Humanity.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, on 1 July 2009. He raised the issue with him and asked for clarification of whether the Spirit of Humanity was intercepted in international waters. We will continue to press the Israeli Government for clarification.

Terrorism: Finance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace) of 26 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1154W, on overseas aid: terrorism, what the arrangements are for scrutiny of the expenditure of the sum allocated to his Department's Counter-Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme; and what categories of expenditure have been established for the programme.

Ivan Lewis: To measure the impact of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) counter radicalisation work overseas, the FCO has developed a system with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's delivery unit and the National Audit Office. All proposals submitted to the FCO's Counter Terrorism Radicalisation Programme for funding undergo a rigorous assessment process and are monitored closely by our diplomatic missions overseas and by external assessors to ensure they deliver good value for money.
	The categories of expenditure for the programme cover the four CONTEST counter terrorism strategy pillars: Protect, Prepare, Pursue and Prevent.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the administrative cost of the Communitybuilders programme has been to date.

Shahid Malik: Communities and Local Government and the Office of the Third Sector have spent approximately 244,520 on the administration of the Communitybuilders programme, excluding staff costs. This figure consists of 24,520 for the branding of the programme, 60,000 for promotion at a series of regional road shows and approximately 160,000 for specialist procurement advice.
	Staff costs for the administration of the programme between January 2008 and June 2009 were approximately 119,000 for Communities and Local Government and 16,800 for the Office of the Third Sector.

Council Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Regent's Park and Kensington North of 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 456W, on housing: City of Westminster, what funding his Department has provided to each local authority for housing in each of the last five years; from what budgets such funding was drawn; and for what purposes such funding was allocated.

Ian Austin: A table setting out the housing revenue account expenditure allowances and capital allocations that the Department has provided to local authorities in each of the last five years, has been placed in the Libraries of the House. All funds were allocated for the repairs, maintenance and upkeep of properties.

Council Housing: Property Transfer

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has allocated to redeem the housing debt of local authorities which have transferred their council housing to housing associations in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) each of the next three years; and what arrangements have been made with the Scottish Executive to redeem such debts in respect of local authorities in Scotland.

Ian Austin: The Department has an annual voted provision of 616 million for overhanging debt payments which is adjusted as each year unfolds. The amount of debt the Department has paid to the Public Works Loans Boards in respect of completed housing stock transfers so far this financial year is 126,699,339.51, and expects to make a further payment of approximately 149 million for other transfers due to complete by 31 March 2010. For 2010-11 financial year the Department is forecasting debt payments in the region of 250 million. Figures for subsequent years are not available.
	The Department is not responsible for any arrangements for overhanging debt in respect of local authorities in Scotland as this responsibility is devolved to the Scottish Executive.

Council Housing: Rents

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether primary legislation will be required to give effect to his proposal to allow local authorities to retain rent receipts from new-build council houses.

Ian Austin: Section 313 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 inserted a new section 80B into the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which permits the Secretary of State to enter into agreements with local authorities to hold certain properties outside the HRA subsidy system. This measure enables authorities to retain rent receipts from excluded properties.

Council Housing: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of allowing local authorities to retain capital receipts from  (a) Right to Buy and  (b) other housing sales in 2010-11.

Ian Austin: The outcome of the review of council housing finance announced on 30 June 2009 included proposals to allow authorities to retain their housing receipts. Further details on this proposal, including possible implementation dates and the effect on the Exchequer, will be given in the forthcoming consultation paper.

Council Housing: Standards

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of council houses in each local authority which will meet the Decent Homes standard by 2010; and what steps he plans to take to assist local authorities to maintain that standard after 2010.

Ian Austin: The following table provides information as reported by local authorities in 2008 on dwellings that meet the Decent Homes standard. In his written statement on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 7WS, my hon. Friend, the Minister for Housing stated that our aim in setting up the self financing system for council housing is to ensure that it delivers the investment needed to sustain and maintain decency.

Council Housing: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions the Government Office for the South West has had with Stroud District Council on transfer of its housing stock; whether the Government Office requested those discussions; what proposals the Government Office made to the council about stock transfer in those discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: There have been no recent discussions about transfer of its housing stock.

Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities allow  (a) an exemption from payment of council tax on a property for six months after probate has been granted and  (b) an exemption from or discount on payment of council tax on a property for six months or more following a bereavement; and what exemptions or discounts apply in each case.

Rosie Winterton: Under Class F of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992, dwellings left empty by the death of the owner or tenant are exempt from council tax from the date of death until up to six months after the date of a grant of probate or letters of administration have been made. Local authorities have no discretion about granting this exemption.
	Where a dwelling is not left empty by the bereavement, the normal rules for council tax would continue to apply to the surviving occupier(s). Local authorities have a general power under section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to grant discretionary discounts. We know of no authority which has used that power to grant discounts on the occasion of a bereavement.

Eco-Towns

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the 10 planned eco-towns to be constructed.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 8 July 2009,  Official Report, column 902W.

Energy Performance Certificates: Fees and Charges

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans next to review the fees charged for adding an entry to the register of energy display certificates.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1342W.

Homes and Communities Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1001W, on Homes and Communities Agency: expenditure, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Homes and Communities Agency's  (a) brand induction flyer for staff,  (b) brand guidelines and  (c) stationery design guidance.

John Healey: I have placed in the House Library a copy of the Homes and Communities Agency brand induction flyer for staff and brand guidelines. The statutory design guidance was a significant piece of work undertaken to develop a set of templates for printed items including letterheads, compliment slips and business cards for the HCA and is therefore not available as a document.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have a deficit on their housing revenue account.

Ian Austin: Local authorities have a statutory duty to prevent a debit balance on their housing revenue account.
	LB Lambeth informed the Department that they ended the last financial year with a deficit on their housing revenue account and are taking remedial action this year. No other local authorities have currently reported a deficit.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 7-10WS, on housing, whether the proposed changes to housing revenue accounts will require changes to primary legislation.

Ian Austin: We believe that the changes proposed in my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing's statement will require primary legislation. This is because the provisions relating to the housing revenue account (HRA) and HRA subsidy contained in part VI of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 will not be wide enough to provide for the proposals set out in the statement. Section 80B of the Housing Act 1985, inserted by section 313 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, enables the Secretary of State and a local authority to agree that specified houses owned by the authority will not be subject to the HRA subsidy provisions. However, the provision only allows for individually negotiated terms agreed individually by the authority. This cannot provide for the changes proposed in the ministerial statement.
	We cannot be certain of what will be required until the outcome of the consultation exercise is known.

Housing: Finance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the 1.5 billion expenditure on housing announced on pages 37 and 38 of Building Britain's Future, Cm. 7654, will be  (a) new money,  (b) money reallocated from other budgets and  (c) expenditure brought forward from future years.

John Healey: The 1.5 billion for the Housing Pledge is additional expenditure on new affordable housing and related housing market provision as set out in 'Building Britain's Future'. It is funded through contributions from other Government Departments and reprioritisation of Communities and Local Government (CLG) programmes.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties were sold under the  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) OwnHome,  (c) OpenMarket HomeBuy,  (d) First-time Buyers Initiative,  (e) MyChoice HomeBuy,  (f) New Build HomeBuy,  (g) Social HomeBuy and  (h) Rent to HomeBuy scheme in May 2009; and how many had been sold under each such scheme at the latest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: The following table shows the number of completions under each HomeBuy scheme for 2008-09:
	
		
			  Scheme  Number 
			 HomeBuy Direct 0 
			 OwnHome 800 
			 OpenMarket HomeBuy 6,120 
			 First-time Buyers Initiative 1,030 
			 MyChoice HomeBuy 3,120 
			 New Build HomeBuy 10,650 
			 Social HomeBuy 100 
			 Rent to HomeBuy 1,170 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). 
		
	
	The figures show the number of affordable housing completions, not the number of sales. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Figures showing the number of affordable homes completions in May 2009 by type of scheme are not available.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many armed forces personnel resident in  (a) Hemel Hempstead,  (b) Dacorum,  (c) Hertfordshire and  (d) the South East have applied for assistance to (i) purchase a home under the New Build HomeBuy scheme and (ii) rent a home under the intermediate rent scheme in each month since 2006.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 2 July,  Official Report, column 369W.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to commission evaluations of the performance of each of his Department's HomeBuy schemes;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) OwnHome,  (c) OpenMarket HomeBuy,  (d) the First-Time Buyers' Initiative,  (e) MyChoice HomeBuy,  (f) New Build HomeBuy,  (g) Social HomeBuy and  (h) Rent to HomeBuy scheme.

John Healey: The HCA keeps the Affordable Housing Programme under review and makes regular reports to the Department.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions the Homes and Communities Agency has had with each bank in which the Government has a shareholding on providing mortgage finance for  (a) HomeBuy Direct,  (b) OwnHome,  (c) OpenMarket HomeBuy,  (d) the First time Buyers' Initiative,  (e) MyChoice HomeBuy,  (f) New Build HomeBuy,  (g) Social HomeBuy and  (h) Rent to HomeBuy.

John Healey: The Department and the Homes and Communities Agency are working with all major mortgage lenders, both directly and through the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Building Societies Association, in order to encourage increased availability of mortgages for shared ownership purchasers.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Infrastructure Planning Commission has budgeted for legal costs in its first full year of operation.

John Healey: The IPC budget for its first full year will be agreed by winter 2009.

Local Government: Bank Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 199W, on Chorley borough council: bank services, what steps he has taken to assist local authorities in the recovery of deposits held by them in Icelandic banks.

Rosie Winterton: The Government has been doing everything it can to help local authorities, along with other creditors, get their money back. HM Treasury has been working with the Icelandic authorities to ensure fair treatment for UK creditors.

Local Government: Equality

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements there are upon local authorities to complete an equality impact assessment.

Michael Jabez Foster: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities, like all public authorities, are required to assess the impact of relevant policies and practices on gender, race and disability equality in line with the requirements of the gender, race and disability equality duties.

Local Government: Public Consultation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable has been set for the forthcoming consultation exercise on local democratic renewal.

Rosie Winterton: The consultation exercise on local democratic renewal will be published shortly.

Local Government: Redundancy

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies in the local government sector in 2009-10.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by Communities and Local Government.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 753W, on mortgages: Government assistance, whether  (a) the Bank of Ireland,  (b) GMAC,  (c) Kensington Mortgages,  (d) GE Money and  (e) the Post Office has joined the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: GE Money, GMAC, Kensington Mortgages and the Bank of Ireland (which services operates its residential mortgage lending through four brands in the UK - Bristol and West Mortgages, Bank of Ireland Mortgages, Giraffe and Post Office Mortgages), are all committed to offer the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of gross revenue from business rates in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10 in England.

Rosie Winterton: Local authorities reported that they expect the gross revenue (before deductions for reliefs and collection costs) to be raised from non-domestic rates in 2008-09 in England to be 21.475 billion. The corresponding figure for 2009-10 is 22.473 billion.

Regional Planning and Development: South West

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the final regional spatial strategy for the South West will be issued.

Ian Austin: On 20 May, the High Court gave an oral judgment that the published Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England failed to meet certain requirements of the EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive in respect of policies relating to three towns.
	The Department and the Government office for the south-west are currently considering the potential implications for the Regional Spatial Strategy for the south-west, and an announcement is expected shortly.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with housing associations on lender support for shared ownership housing schemes;
	(2)  if  (a) his Department and  (b) the Homes and Communities Agency will urge lenders (i) in the private sector and (ii) partly or wholly in public ownership to maintain credit flows to first-time buyers to participate in shared ownership schemes.

John Healey: The Department and the Homes and Communities Agency are working with all major mortgage lenders, both directly and through the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Building Societies Association, in order to encourage increased availability of mortgages for shared ownership purchasers.

Social Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the number of households on social housing waiting lists which are  (a) single-person,  (b) two-person,  (c) three-person and  (d) four or more person households.

Ian Austin: Information on the size of households on social housing waiting lists is not available.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many socially rented housing units are included in schemes involving demolition and rebuilding in each region; and how many homes for social use will be provided by such schemes on completion in each region.

Ian Austin: Figures showing the number of socially rented homes included in schemes involving demolition and rebuilding are not held centrally.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures his Department uses to assess the performance of the Deposit Protection Service; and what the level of performance against those measures was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian Austin: The Deposit Protection Service (DPS) is required to submit monthly reports on 11 key performance indicators under the terms of its contract with Communities and Local Government. In addition, the Department holds quarterly monitoring meetings with the DPS at which any performance issues can be discussed. Over the 27 months that the scheme has been operating, the DPS's performance has been consistently high, with targets regularly being exceeded.

HOME DEPARTMENT

CCTV

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department and its agencies have provided to local authorities on the use of CCTV cameras fitted with microphones to tackle crime.

David Hanson: Guidance to local authorities on the use of CCTV cameras fitted with microphones has not been issued by the Home Office or its agencies.

Community Policing: North West

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing schemes in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Crosby constituency.

David Hanson: HMIC has inspected every force in England and Wales to assess their capabilities in delivering neighbourhood policing and developing citizen focus. HMIC's assessment in September 2008 was that all forces, including Merseyside police, had met this standard.

Community Support Officers: Equipment

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to chief constables on the use of stab-proof vests by police community support officers.

David Hanson: In 2008 the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) was commissioned by the Home Office, Association of Police Authorities and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to undertake a review of the operational deployment and use of Police Community Support Officers (PCSO). Among other issues, this review focused on the issue of Personal Protective Equipment (including protective vests) and the core role and function of PCSOs. Following the review a number of general principles were agreed, one being that PCSOs would undertake public facing non-confrontational duties in uniform.
	The NPIA will be publishing general risk guidance for all operational staff including PCSOs in late summer 2009.
	ACPO issued guidance to forces in 2005, updated in 2007, on Police Community Support Officers.

Crime: Glastonbury Festival

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested for each category of offence at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival.

David Hanson: The data requested are not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) recorded by the police forces in England and Wales. Data are not reported to the Home Office below police force area level. The most recent year of data available is 2007-08.
	For more detailed information I would direct the hon. Member to Avon and Somerset police.

Crimes of Violence

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets he has set for the reduction of knife crime in the next three years.

David Hanson: Under the Government's PSA 23 target, we are committed to reducing the most serious violence, including tackling serious sexual offences and domestic violence. No separate numerical target for knife crime has been set but we have made clear that the aim of the Tackling Knives Action Programme is to reduce the number of young people killed and seriously injured by knives.

Internet

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will discuss with Phorm the potential for the use of its technologies in surveillance of internet use for the purposes of counter-terrorism;
	(2)  whether his Department's note on the applicability of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to targeted online advertising was based on the assumption that internet users would have to opt  (a) in and  (b) out in relation to the use of their data for the purposes of such advertising.

David Hanson: The Home Office expressed an informal view about targeted online advertising and RIPA in response to a number of requests. That note concludes that targeted online advertising systems might be lawful if consent was expressed appropriately. It did not consider whether the advertising system was either opt-in or opt-out. The Information Commissioner has confirmed that consent should be given on the basis of an opt-in system.
	No discussions have taken place between the Home Office and Phorm regarding the use of its technology for counter-terrorism purposes and none are planned.
	The European Commission requested a reply within two months and the Government have responded accordingly. It would not be appropriate to disclose the response while the Commission is still considering it.

Internet

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department monitors internet traffic.

David Hanson: holding answer 24 June 2009
	 The Home Office does not monitor internet traffic.

Internet

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on monitoring internet traffic in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: holding answer 24 June 2009
	 The Home Office does not monitor internet traffic.
	The Home Office does sponsor systems to enable communications service providers to store communications data that they are required to retain under the European Data Retention Directive 2006/24/EC, or retain voluntarily under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 code of practice on data retention. Communications data are the who, when and where of a communication, but none of the content.
	The Home Office spend on these systems over the last five years is shown as follows.
	
		
			   
			   ATCSA  EUDRD 
			 2004-05 84,582.23  
			 2005-06 770,800.00  
			 2006-07 5,282,100.90  
			 2007-08 5,714,045.00 2,632,450.00 
			 2008-09 3,567,121.25 6,608,406.48

Knives: Amnesty

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to introduce a national knife amnesty.

David Hanson: The Government do not have any current plans for the introduction of a national knife amnesty.
	In June 2007, the Home Office and ACPO published Knife Crime Best Practice for police forces in England and Wales, including the use of knife amnesties. This built upon the lessons learned from the National Knife Amnesty run in partnership with ACPO in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 24 May to 30 June 2006.
	Police forces can if they wish run local knife amnesties taking advice from ACPO and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 10 December 2008 on computer server security.

David Hanson: My right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith) wrote to the hon. Member in June.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter to his predecessor of 28 April 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Fazli Subhan.

Alan Johnson: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 2 July 2009.

Offensive Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on knife arches in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The Government have spent 421,557 on the purchase of search equipment, including knife arches and search wands, for police forces in the last 12 months.
	The provision of search equipment for police forces was a key measure of the Tackling Violence Action Plan announced in February 2008 and the Tackling Knives Action programme which was announced in June last year.

Offensive Weapons: Amnesties

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to police authorities on the organisation and conduct of local knife amnesty programmes.

David Hanson: In June 2007, the Home Office and ACPO published Knife Crime Best Practice for police forces in England and Wales, including the use of knife amnesties.
	This built upon the lessons learned from the National Knife Amnesty run in partnership with ACPO in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 24 May to 30 June 2006.

Office of Cyber Security: Cyber Security Operations Centre

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) budget and  (b) personnel his Department will provide for the (i) Office of Cyber Security and (ii) Cyber Security Operations Centre in the first 12 months of operation.

David Hanson: The Office of Cyber Security (OCS) will be established in September 2009 to provide strategic leadership for and coherence across Government, and to establish a cross-Government programme to address priority areas in pursuit of the UK's strategic cyber security objectives. The OCS will be established in and supported by the Cabinet Office. As a multi-agency body, it will include personnel from across Government; the exact staffing arrangements are currently being determined.
	The Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) will be established at the same time to bring together existing multi-agency efforts to provide situational awareness, analysis and incident response co-ordination in the cyber security field, making sure that new and existing resources are used to best effect in the areas where they are needed the most. As a multi-agency body, in common with the OCS, the CSOC will include personnel from across Government; the exact staffing arrangements are currently being determined.
	The additional resources for the Government's overall cyber security programme will be reported to the House in the autumn.

Police: Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for policing in Crosby constituency was in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

David Hanson: The Government allocate funding to police authorities as a whole. The allocation of resources in Crosby constituency is a matter for the chief constable of Merseyside police and the police authority, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
	Merseyside's final budget was 307.3 million for 2007-08 and 317.1 million for 2008-09.

Police: Pensions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of police pension payments  (a) was in each of the last five financial years and  (b) is projected to be in each of the next five financial years.

Alan Johnson: Before 2006-07 police pensions were paid out of forces' operating accounts. Information about the level of pensions expenditure net of officer contributions is included in the annual reports published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). This information is gathered independently of the Home Office.
	Since 2006-07, forces have paid police pensions out of a pensions account into which are paid officers' contributions and the employer's contribution. Where the pensions account does not have enough funds to meet the costs of pensions in any year it is topped up with grant from central Government; any surplus is recouped. The following table gives expenditure information in relation to England and Wales.
	The Government Actuary's Department is currently reviewing its projections for future expenditure on police pensions, with a view to providing updated projections later in 2009. In view of this, I shall write to the hon. Member when the revised projections are available.
	
		
			   billion 
			  Financial year  Total pension expenditure  Expenditure net of officers' contributions 
			 2006-07 1.970 1.471 
			 2007-08 2.096 1.577 
			 2008-09(1) 2.374 1.849 
			 (1 )Unaudited account information.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available to local residents from the police to prevent illegal Travellers sites being established at times when local authority offices are closed, with particular reference to cases where the land is owned by the Travellers concerned.

David Hanson: Police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Act 1994 to deal with unauthorised encampments. These are discretionary powers and it would be a decision for the senior officer at the scene as to whether they were used.

TREASURY

Chief Scientist

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will appoint a chief scientist to his Department.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are currently no plans to appoint a chief scientist in the Treasury.

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No Treasury employees have been posted to work in offices of any of the hon. Members of any of the political parties in each of the last five years. In accordance with the Civil Service Code, Treasury officials are accountable to Ministers, who are in turn accountable to Parliament. It would be a breach of the Code for Treasury officials to act in a way that is determined by party political considerations.

Euro Preparations Advisory Group

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Local Authorities Euro Preparations Group last met.

Stephen Timms: The last meeting between local authorities and central Government officials to discuss Euro preparations took place in September 2006.

Financial Services Authority: Communication Service Providers

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests for communications data were made by the Financial Services Authority to communication service providers (CSPs) under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2002,  (c) 2003,  (d) 2004,  (e) 2005,  (f) 2006,  (g) 2007 and  (h) 2008; and how many of these requests resulted in the requested communications data being disclosed by the relevant CSP.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The matter raised in this question is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. I understand that the FSA will write to the hon. Member directly.

Financial Services: Eligibility

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of those over 65 years of age who have been disqualified from eligibility for financial services on the grounds of age.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government Equalities Office 2007 consultation A Framework for Fairness found that some people were unhappy about how age is used in financial services products, mostly in respect of older people's experience of travel and motor insurance.
	After the Framework for Fairness consultation and the report of the expert's working group on age discrimination in financial services, the Government commissioned research from Oxera on the use of age-based practices in financial services. This was published by the Government Equalities Office on 29 June 2009 alongside Ending age discrimination in services and public functionsa consultation, and concluded that, although some people have real problems with finding and buying suitable insurance policies, no age group is excluded from motor or travel insurance markets on the grounds of age.

Financial Services: Eligibility

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has issued recent guidance to financial institutions on age-related eligibility criteria for financial products; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury has not issued any recent guidance to financial institutions on age-related eligibility criteria for financial products.
	On 29 June 2009, the Government Equalities Office published Ending age discrimination in services and public functionsa consultation. The results of this consultation will help clarify how the Equalities Bill prohibition on unjustified age discrimination will be applied in the financial services sector.

Taxation: Repayments

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the introduction of random security checks has had on the average length of time taken by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to make repayments of tax; and how much HMRC owes in repayments to  (a) individual taxpayers and  (b) small businesses for the tax year 2007-08.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seek to strike a balance between issuing repayments as quickly as possible for the benefit of the customers and ensuring that the Exchequer is adequately protected against fraud. Therefore some tax repayment claims are subject to security checks, which may delay repayments from being made.
	Some self assessment customers have unfortunately experienced such delays this year caused by a combination of a very much sharper peak of repayments in January and February, arising from the move to greater online filing, and more repayments being selected for our security checking.
	Figures for the amount HMRC owes in repayments for the tax year 2007-08 are not available. Repayments of tax are not due until the customer's tax position for the tax year has been finalised.

Taxation: Valuation Office

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many inheritance tax valuations were challenged by the Valuation Office Agency in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: The number of inheritance tax cases in which the valuations submitted by taxpayers were adjusted following a challenge by the Valuation Office Agency was 3,644 in 2008-09, 5,783 in 2007-08 and 6,318 in 2006-07. The Agency's caseworkers are required to act in an impartial manner and only challenge valuations where it is considered that the figure adopted by the parties is not supported by market evidence. The fluctuations in these figures reflect changes in the total volume of cases.

Working Tax Credit: Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in City of York constituency are receiving  (a) child and  (b) working tax credit; and what the average monetary value of tax credits to those households was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The latest information on the number of recipient families in receipt of child and working tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency, is given in the HMRC snapshot publication, Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2009.
	Information on average annual entitlements by each parliamentary constituency, based on incomes and final family circumstances in 2007-08, is produced in the HMRC publication, Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses. 2007-08. These publications are available on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	HMRC does not produce separate statistics for child and working tax credits.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change: Public Awareness

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of awareness among the public of the consequences of climate change.

Joan Ruddock: In March 2009, as part of the Act on CO2 campaign, our independent research showed that about 90 per cent. of those consulted indicated that they were aware of climate change.
	Recent qualitative research studies, commissioned separately by the Department for Transport, and by my Department, probed what people actually know, and suggested that levels of literacy about climate change are low and fragmented.

Climate Change: Public Awareness

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the level of awareness among the public of the consequences of climate change.

Joan Ruddock: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sedgefield (Phil Wilson), earlier today.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the development of carbon capture and storage technology; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Carbon capture and storage technology has huge potential to turn coal into a clean fuel of the future. While it has only been demonstrated at small scale, our plans will be among the largest demonstration projects in the world and we hope will drive us towards the successful deployment of CCS in developed and developing countries.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy on carbon capture and storage is; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Carbon capture and storage is essential in the battle against climate change, because of the global reliance on coal in the energy mix, now and in the future. Our policy is to show leadership on this issue as a way to improve our energy security, help provide jobs for the future and bring down carbon emissions.

Smart Meters

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress his Department has made on the national roll-out of smart meters.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the introduction of smart meters; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Last year the Government announced their intention to mandate smart electricity and, where relevant, gas metering for all households in Great Britain. This will be a major project involving the installation of about 47 million smart meters. We have set an indicative timetable for a completion of the roll-out by the end of 2020. We published a consultation on aspects of implementation on 11 May 2009. The consultation is available on the open consultations section of the DECC website. Obviously replies are still being received to this consultation, the closing date is not until 3 August and all responses received will be considered.
	In addition, officials have met with numerous organisations and individuals to discuss smart metering issues, including energy supply companies, network operating companies, metering businesses, consumer organisations and others with an interest in smart metering.

Domestic Energy Prices

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of trends in domestic energy prices; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Global energy demand and wholesale prices have fallen since peaks last year. It is essential that falls in wholesale costs reach consumers. This is why we asked Ofgem to provide quarterly reports on price movements.
	Ofgem's most recent report found that margins are around historic levels, and falls in costs appear to be being passed on to consumers. We expect suppliers to continue to pass on any sustained falls in wholesale costs.

Renewable Energy: Electricity Generation

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of electricity generated from  (a) solar and  (b) other renewable sources in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Kidney: In 2008, a very small proportion (0.004 per cent.) of electricity was generated from solar. However, in total, renewable generation grew by 10 per cent. during 2008, and accounted for 5.5 per cent. of total electricity generation.

Renewable Energy: Consultation

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to announce the conclusions of his Department's consultation on renewable energy.

David Kidney: We have already published a summary of responses to the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation on the DECC website, and we will publish a new Renewable Energy Strategy, in response to the consultation, later this month.

Fuel Poverty

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department began its review of its strategy for tackling fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change announced that the Government would be reviewing their fuel poverty policies during her evidence to the EFRA Select Committee in January 2009. The Director for the review was formally appointed in March 2009, and the majority of the team was in place in April 2009.
	Initial findings of this review are expected in the summer of 2009. Until the review has delivered its findings it would be inappropriate to consider whether to revise the Government's fuel poverty strategy.

Fuel Poverty: Public Consultation

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what public consultation he plans to undertake as part of his Department's review of its strategy for tackling fuel poverty.

David Kidney: DECC is currently undertaking a review of its fuel poverty policies. Initial findings of this review are expected in the summer of 2009. Until the review has delivered its findings it would be inappropriate to consider whether to revise the Government's fuel poverty strategy. If the Government decided they did wish to revise the strategy, it would comply with the code of practice on consultation.

Office for Renewable Energy Development

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the proposed Office for Renewable Energy Development will become operational; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: holding answer 8 July 2009
	The Government announced in the Manufacturing Strategy Review of September 2008, Manufacturing: New Challenges, New Opportunities that the Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) would be established as the Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) was finalised. The Government intend to publish the RES this summer and the ORED will be formally launched in line with its earlier announcement.

Sizewell A Power Station

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what marine environmental assessment the Government have made in respect of the discharge of coolant from Sizewell A.

David Kidney: The Environment Agency, as the independent regulator, carried out an assessment of the radiological impact of the discharge and concluded that there had been no additional impact beyond that assessed and authorised for routine discharges on the marine environment.

Warm Front Scheme

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations his Department has received from the Institute of Domestic Energy Assessors on eaga plc work on the Warm Front scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: holding answer 6 July 2009
	The Department has not received any representations from either the Institute of Domestic Energy Assessors (IDEA) or its members on eaga plc's work on the Warm Front scheme.
	The Department has however received seven representations from the Institute of Domestic Energy Assessors (IDEA) and its members alleging a conflict of interest around eaga plc's role in administering the Warm Front scheme and the services they offer on a commercial basis such as the provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for dwellings.
	Eaga plc is a commercial enterprise offering a variety of services to both central and local government as well as the social housing and private sectors. The provision of EPCs to external parties does not represent a conflict of interest in terms of their role managing the Warm Front scheme.

HEALTH

Alcoholism

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admissions to hospital where an illness related to alcohol was a primary or secondary diagnosis at the outset there were in each NHS trust in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions, either with a primary or secondary diagnosis, in each national health service trust, for each of the last three years that data are available is given in a table, which has been placed in the Library.

Alcoholism: Accident and Emergency Departments

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admission episodes where the admission method was via accident and emergency for an alcohol-related diagnosis there were in each NHS trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The number of alcohol-related hospital admissions via accident and emergency, in each national health service trust, for each of the last five years that data are available is given in a table, which has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Finance

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish his Department's programme budgeting data for 2007-08.

Mike O'Brien: The Department plans to publish the programme budgeting data for 2007-08 on 16 July 2009.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Phil Hope: The Department is currently in the process of reviewing its options for updating its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6. No decision has yet been made as to which web browser the Department will update to or when any update might take place.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to his Department's  (a) office equipment and  (b) stationery purchasing policy in the last six months.

Phil Hope: The Department has not reviewed or changed its purchasing policy for office equipment or stationery in the last six months.

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code.
	Civil servants may shadow hon. Members as part of a programme run by the Industry and Parliament Trust. Information about number of civil servants from the Department that have had such an attachment is not held centrally.

Drugs: Medical Treatments

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on funding drug treatment services in each year since 1997; and what the projected expenditure on drug treatment services is in each year to 2010-11.

Gillian Merron: Since 2001, the Department and the Home Office have provided specific resources for drug treatment in the form of the pooled drug treatment budget (PTB). This funding is allocated to 149 drug teams across the country to use, along with local mainstream funding to provide for treatment and services according to the specific needs of each locality. Information on drug treatment spend prior to 2001 is not held centrally.
	
		
			   PTB allocation ( million) 
			 2001-02 142 
			 2002-03 192 
			 2003-04 236 
			 2004-05 253 
			 2005-06 300 
			 2006-07 385 
			 2007-08 398 
			 2008-09 398 
			 2009-10 406 
			 2010-11 (1) 
			 (1) Not yet available

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many problem drug users there were in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in (i) 1997 and (ii) each of the last five years; and how many received treatment.

Gillian Merron: Data on problem drug users in 1997 and for problem drug users in Castle Point are not collected centrally. For planning purposes, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse have advised Essex that they use an estimate of 3,486 problematic drug users(1) (PDU). However, there are insufficient data on the number of PDU to determine how the PDU population has changed over time.
	Data on the number of problematic drug users in treatment in Essex since 2004-05 are given as follows. Data for 2008-09 are not yet available.
	(1) Based on data collected by the university of Glasgow covering the period 2004-05 to 2006-07.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 1,095 
			 2005-06 1,361 
			 2006-07 1,623 
			 2007-08 1,762

Drugs: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were discharged from treatment for drug misuse in the categories of  (a) treatment completed drug free,  (b) treatment completed not drug free,  (c) dropped out,  (d) referred to other treatment,  (e) individual entered prison,  (f) individual died and  (g) reason not known in each year from 2003-04 to 2007-08.

Gillian Merron: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse's National Drug Treatment Monitoring System collects discharge information and the numbers recorded for the discharge codes requested for the period 2004-05 to 2007-08 are as follows:
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Treatment completed drug free 3,632 4,559 5,829 7,324 
			 Treatment completed 7,656 10,662 13,022 17,306 
			 Referred on 4,516 6,348 8,662 10,811 
			 Dropped out/left 23,955 26,136 23,646 19,591 
			 Prison 2,441 3,486 4,069 4,240 
			 Died 602 514 633 784 
			 Other 4,383 2,376 1,556 520 
			 Retained in treatment 104,900 113,521 129,341 133,024 
			  Note: Data collected for 2003-04 were not robust enough to provide figures for that year.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to Lord Laird of 1 June 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 31WA, on health: former UK residents, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the EU-level meeting held in November 2008.

Gillian Merron: The European Commission does not make the minutes of the Audit Board publicly available. However, details of agreed average costs are published in the Official Journal of the European Union. A copy of this has been placed in the Library.

Heroin

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of heroin substitute in each category were dispensed to patients in each of the last six years.

Gillian Merron: Section 4.10 (Drugs used in substance dependence) of the British National Formulary (BNF) lists two drugs classified as heroin substitutes, Methadone and Buprenorphine.
	The following table shows the number of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England.
	
		
			  Prescription items dispensed for heroin substitute drugs within Section 4.10 of the BNF 
			  Items  (thousand) 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Methadone Hydrochloride 1,512.5 1,721.1 1,954.7 2,191.3 2,406.7 2,654.7 
			 Buprenorphine 310.6 462.8 532.7 610.8 621.0 612.7 
			 Buprenorphine with Naloxone0.0 19.3 50.3 
			  Notes: 1. '' indicates no prescription items 2. '0.0' indicates fewer than 50 items  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) 
		
	
	These figures may underestimate use as these drugs are also licensed for use as a cough preparation and analgesic. Some prescriptions intended for use as a substitute for heroin may be recorded in BNF Sections 3.9 (Cough suppressants) and 4.7 (Analgesics).

Hospitals: Admissions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 16,  (b) between 16 and 18,  (c) between 19 and 65 and  (d) over 65 years old were admitted to hospital in each strategic health authority with a primary or secondary cause of admission listed as (i) sunburn, (ii) sunstroke and (iii) dehydration in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Kidneys: Research

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on research into  (a) chronic kidney disease,  (b) acute kidney injury,  (c) kidney cancer,  (d) dialysis,  (e) end-of-life care for kidney patients and  (f) other kidney disease in each of the last three years; and how much it plans to spend on such research in 2009.

Gillian Merron: Both the Department and the Medical Research Council support kidney disease research. Available annual expenditure data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on renal disease research 
			   million 
			   Department( 1, 2)  Medical Research Council 
			 2006-07 13.2 5.3 
			 2007-08 12.2 5.4 
			 2008-09 (3)9.6 (4) 
			 (1) Includes NIHR expenditure and reported spend by NHS organisations from the transitional research and development funding allocations made to them over the three-year period. (2) Excludes the cost of relevant work undertaken by three of the research units funded by Department's Policy Research Programme as it is not separately identifiable. (3) The estimate of NHS spend included in the total figure given here is provisional. It will be revised when a full analysis of the returns from which it derives has been completed. (4) Not yet available. 
		
	
	The National Institute for Health Research's (NIHR) clinical research network is currently supporting 38 studies concerned with renal disease.

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) specific and  (b) area-based grants are distributed to local authorities by each division of his Department.

Phil Hope: The Department does not distribute area- based grants (ABG) direct to local authorities.
	The Department contributes to the ABG in the form of monthly payments to the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). CLG then distribute these grant monies direct to local authorities.
	The Department of Health does distribute adult personal social services capital grants and specific revenue grant monies directly to local authorities, via regular grant payments. The capital grant monies are either paid directly to all local authorities or issued, via a bidding process, to specific local authorities.
	Details of all adult personal social services specific revenue and capital grant allocations and contributions to the ABG for 2008-11 were announced in LASSL(DH)(2007)2 and LASSL(DH)(2007)3. In addition, details of the grants included within the bidding processing were also published in these documents. Local authority social services letters (LASSLs) and local authority circulars are published by the Department of Health.
	A copy of the respective LASSLs has been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/index.htm

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate has been made of the annual costs to  (a) his Department of distributing each grant made by it to local authorities and  (b) local authorities of administering each such grant.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally.
	The Department uses an in-house electronic information system, the business management system (BMS), which brings together the Department's human resources, procurement and finance information and processing into a single integrated system. The Department uses the BMS system to process and issue adult personal social services grants.
	The Department contributes to the area-based grant in the form of monthly payments, via BMS, to the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). CLG then distribute these grant monies direct to local authorities.
	The Department distributes capital grant monies and specific revenue grant monies directly to local authorities, via regular grant payments, again using the BMS. Information on costs to local authorities of administering each grant is not collected by the Department.

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) eligibility conditions and  (b) compliance measures are in place in respect of the expenditure by local authorities of each grant distributed by his Department; and what recent estimate has been made of the annual cost to his Department of monitoring the compliance by local authorities with such measures in respect of each such grant.

Phil Hope: Grant eligibility conditions and compliance measures are set out in local authority social services letters (LASSLs) and local authority circulars (LACs), as published by the Department. These official circulars notify local authorities of their specific revenue and capital grant funding and the Department's contributions to the area-based grant (ABG) in support of social care policies (including children's personal social services funding insofar as this is provided by the children and adolescent mental health services contribution).
	From April 2008, the majority of revenue grants will be delivered to local authorities through the Department's contribution to the ABG. The ABG is paid on an unringfenced basis and as such local authorities are able to determine locally how best to spend these grants in order to deliver local and national priorities. As an unringfenced grant, there are no restrictions on carry forward between financial years. This represents a considerable increase in the flexibility open to local government to take local spending decisions in line with the new performance framework. The ABG is administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and paid to local authorities on a monthly basis.
	For the small number of ring-fenced grants, these are allocated via a bidding process. Therefore, there are 'eligibility' criteria and compliance measures attached to the use of these monies in order to meet the specific social care policy.
	Copies of LASSL(s) and LACs are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/index.htm

Meat Hygiene Service: Manpower

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meat hygiene inspectors were employed by the Meat Hygiene Service  (a) at its inception and  (b) at the latest date for which information is available.

Gillian Merron: Figures solely for the number of meat hygiene inspectors (MHIs) when the Meat Hygiene Service was established on 1 April 1995 are not available.
	However, the average number of meat hygiene inspectors and official veterinarians employed by the MHS in 1995-96 was 1,007 and in 2008-09 was 876. These numbers exclude casual and contract staff.

Meat Hygiene Service: Manpower

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of veterinary to administrative staff in the Meat Hygiene Service was  (a) at its inception and  (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: A breakdown of headcount numbers at the establishment of the Meat Hygiene Service on 1 April 1995 is not available in sufficient detail to calculate the ratio of veterinary/inspection staff to administrative/managerial staff.
	 As at 31 March 2009
	Veterinary/Inspection staff1,254
	Administrative/Managerial staff166
	 Ratio
	Veterinary/inspection:administrative/managerial7.6:1

Meat Hygiene Service: Manpower

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of employing a meat hygiene inspector to the Meat Hygiene Service was  (a) at its inception in current prices and  (b) at the latest date for which information is available.

Gillian Merron: The average cost of employing a meat hygiene inspector when the Meat Hygiene Service was established on 1 April 1995 is unavailable.
	The salary scale for a meat hygiene inspector as at 31 March 2009 is 20,974 to 25,541(1, 2).
	(1 )Member of principal civil service pension scheme.
	(2 )Pay award pending.

Meat Hygiene Service: Slaughterhouses

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits were made on average by meat hygiene inspectors to abattoirs  (a) in the first 12 months after the establishment of the Meat Hygiene Service and  (b) in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is responsible for official controls in all approved fresh meat establishments including abattoirs. Since establishment on 1 April 1995, the MHS has carried out these controls in abattoirs through daily attendance to undertake ante and post-mortem inspection of every animal/carcase. The MHS also audits, on a risk based frequency, operator compliance with all relevant legislation.

Meat Hygiene Service: Slaughterhouses

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abattoirs there were when the Meat Hygiene Service was established; and how many there are now.

Gillian Merron: The number of abattoirs operating when the Meat Hygiene Service was established on 1 April 1995 is unavailable.
	However, at 31 March 1997 there were 715 abattoirs and at 31 March 2009 there were 369 abattoirs.

Medical Treatments: EC law

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medicines (Human and Veterinary) (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law has come into force in Guernsey.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	The Medicines Law is not yet in force in Guernsey. It remains the intention of Guernsey's administration that the law will commence with effect from 1 October 2009, through seeking approval of a Commencement Ordinance in the States of Deliberation shortly beforehand.

National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse:

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people are employed by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse;
	(2)  which treatment facilities the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse operates;
	(3)  how much funding his Department has provided to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: As at 6 July 2009, the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) employed 191 full-time equivalents staff.
	The NTA does not operate any drug treatment facilities. The NTA is a special health authority within the national health service, established by Government in 2001 to improve the availability, capacity and effectiveness of treatment for drug misuse in England. The NTA works with local partnerships and providers to develop more effective local treatment services and collects and publishes monthly data showing how well each area, and treatment service, is performing.
	The Department has provided funding to the NTA, a combination of core and project funding, over the last five years, as follows:
	
		
			   000 
			 2005-06 10,267 
			 2006-07 11,743 
			 2007-08 13,666 
			 2008-09 15,835 
			 2009-10 16,618

NHS Productivity Unit

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the priorities of his Department's new NHS productivity unit are.

Mike O'Brien: The NHS productivity and efficiency unit has been established to work with the national health service to identify opportunities for improved productivity and efficiency.
	Investment in the NHS will continue to increase in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Departmental allocations beyond 2011 have not yet been set but the NHS chief executive, David Nicholson, has asked the NHS to prepare for a wide range of funding scenarios. The unit will therefore work with both the Department and NHS to:
	identify the scale of the likely challenge;
	identify potential opportunities for improving quality and efficiency simultaneously because getting it right first time for patients is both efficient and delivers better quality of care; and
	identify the work which needs to be done nationally to support this agenda, contributing to the overall Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention agenda.

Screening: Companies

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the terms of reference are of the National Screening Committee's inquiry into private screening companies;
	(2)  when the National Screening Committee is expected to publish its report on private screening companies; and which  (a) companies and  (b) other organisations have been consulted by the committee in its inquiry.

Ann Keen: No such inquiry is currently under way.

WALES

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not maintain such databases.

Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of the planned databases that will be managed by his Department or one of its agencies and which will hold personal information on members of the public are expected to become operational in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has no plans within the next five years to manage any databases holding personal information on members of the public.

Departmental Pay

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent on salaries and pensions for Ministers in his Department since 2005.

Peter Hain: Ministerial salaries are paid in accordance with the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. Details of ministerial salaries are available in the Library of the House and at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/m06.pdf
	Ministerial pension costs are published in the Ministry of Justice Resource accounts each year.
	These are available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/1055.htm

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees of his Department have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: None.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 499W, on departmental pay, who the employers are who are paying less than 7.45 an hour for work contracted out by his Department; what the nature of the work undertaken on each contract is; how many staff at each  (a) pay band and  (b) location are working on each contract; what the duration of each contract is; and what union recognition agreements are in place with each contractor.

Michael Foster: Charlton House Catering Services Ltd. who provide the staff restaurant facilities, and GBM Support Services Ltd. who carry out the office cleaning are contractors with staff working in 1 Palace street who are paying less than 7.45 an hour.
	The Department is currently reviewing options to meet the London living wage pay levels for these staff.

India: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of his Department's programmes in India aim to reduce levels of poverty in the rural and tribal regions in that country.

Michael Foster: We estimate that around 75 per cent. of the Department for International Development's (DFID) committed expenditure in India will be spent primarily in rural areas. This includes both our national level programming and our support to the state governments of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. DFID ensures that the programmes we support are designed to particularly help the poorest and most excluded groups, such as scheduled castes and tribes. A full list of the DFID programmes which benefit rural and tribal communities in India follows:
	
		
			  DFID programmes addressing rural poverty in India 
			  Duration  Programme  Partner  Financial commitment  ( million) 
			  National
			 2006-11 Reproductive and Child Health II Programme Government of India 252 
			 2007-12 National AIDS Control Programme Government of India 102 
			 2005-10 Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme Government of India 41.7 
			 2007-14 Mahila Samakhya ProgrammePromoting Education for women's equality Government of India 35 
			 2008-11 Sarva Shiksha AbhiyanUniversalising Elementary Education in India Government of India 150 
			 2009-14 Poorest Areas Civil Society ProgrammeEmpowerment of poor and socially excluded groups in the Poorest States of India Civil Societies 25 
			 2005-10 International NGOS Partnership Agreement Programme International NGOs 20 
			 
			  West Bengal
			 2005-10 Health System Development Initiative Government of West Bengal 100 
			 2006-11 Strengthening Rural Decentralization Government of West Bengal 36 
			 2005-10 West Bengal Civil Society Support Programme Civil Societies 5.3 
			 
			  Orissa
			 2000-10 Western Orissa Livelihoods Programme Government of Orissa 32.75 
			 2005-10 Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Project Government of Orissa 9.76 
			 2007-12 Health Sector Plan Government of Orissa 50 
			 
			  Madhya Pradesh
			 2007-12 Rural Livelihoods Programme Government of Madhya Pradesh 45 
			 2007-12 Health Sector Reform Programme Government of Madhya Pradesh 60 
			 
			  Andhra Pradesh
			 2007-10 Health Sector Reform Government of Andhra Pradesh 40

India: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's assistance to India is being provided through the Indian Government in 2009-10.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development has provided 780 million as bilateral assistance to India over the last three (2006-09) years. Of this, 74.6 per cent. was provided as targeted financial assistance to the Indian Government at both the State and Central levels.

India: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the merits of providing funding for the rebuilding work required in Orissa following the violence against Christians in that region.

Michael Foster: According to official figures, the majority of people displaced by the violence in Orissa have already returned to their villages. There are now only three functional relief camps managed by the Government of Orissa, in which about 1,000 people are housed. A process is currently under way to resettle these people in their villages at the earliest opportunity.
	In keeping with its standard policy, the Government of India have not requested bilateral assistance to deal with rehabilitation work in the aftermath of the violence. Accordingly DFID has not made any assessment of funding for rebuilding work. We have, however, raised the issue of social exclusion and violence against minorities in our discussions with the Government of Orissa.

India: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to which projects in Orissa his Department is providing assistance.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently providing assistance to four projects in Orissa:
	32.75 million to the Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods programme, to improve livelihood opportunities for poor people (2000-10);
	9.76 million to the Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods programme to improve the access of tribal communities to livelihoods, food security and water and sanitation (2005-10);
	50 million to the Orissa Health Sector Programme to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, infectious diseases and malnutrition (2007-12);
	7.5 million to the Industrial Policy Resolution Project to improve the climate for socially and environmentally responsible investment and enterprise development in Orissa (2003-09).
	In addition to these four programmes, Orissa also benefits from DFID's support to national level programmes and civil society partnerships.

Kosovo: Internet

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 7 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2875W, on Kosovo: internet, what recent estimate he has made of the number of internet users in Kosovo; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: There has not been a more recent estimate of internet usage in Kosovo since that cited in the answer of 7 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2874W.

Overseas Aid: Health Services

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2009,  Official Report, column 676W, on overseas aid: health services, how much bilateral aid was provided for expenditure on  (a) reproductive health and  (b) HIV and AIDS in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05, (iii) 2005-06, (iv) 2006-07, (v) 2007-08 and (vi) 2008-09.

Michael Foster: holding answer 7 July 2009
	Details of Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral expenditure on projects which directly target reproductive health and health-related aspects of HIV and AIDS are provided in table 1.
	Maternal Health spend data have also been included as there are considerable overlaps in the OECD-DAC definitions for reproductive and maternal health, for example, programmes dealing with the prevention and management of the consequences of abortion are included under the maternal health definition.
	
		
			  Table 1: DFID bilateral expenditure directly targeting reproductive and maternal health and HIV and AIDS, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   million 
			   Reproductive health (RH)  Maternal health (MH)  Total RH and MH  HIV and AIDS 
			 2003-04 44.2 4.9 49.4 65.0 
			 2004-05 39.5 16.2 57.1 96.7 
			 2005-06 27.5 18.7 49.2 130.9 
			 2006-07 29.4 21.9 55.8 128.7 
			 2007-08 18.6 34.4 55.8 134.2 
		
	
	However, overall DFID support to these areas covers a much broader range of activities including support for health systems in general. Table 2 provides details on the total level of relevant support, consistent with the earlier response. Figures for 2008-09 will be available later this month following publication of DFID's annual report.
	
		
			  Table 2: DFID bilateral expenditure on all HIV and AIDS activities, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			million 
			 2003-04 217.9 
			 2004-05 263.3 
			 2005-06 355.3 
			 2006-07 388.8 
			 2007-08 411.9

United Nations: Females

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2009,  Official Report, column 1W, on United Nations: females, what funding to support the establishment of a United Nations Agency for Women his Department has allocated; over what time period; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) will play a full role in ensuring that the new UN Agency for Women is adequately resourced, we will urge others to do the same.
	The new White Paper on International Development Building Our Common Future sets out our plans to support the creation of the new agency.
	Once the new agency is established, DFID will support fundraising efforts, and show leadership by generous core fundingat least doubling our current levels of support for UNIFEM. We will also support the new agency with funding at country level.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when the Government Equalities Office plans to update its web browsers from Internet Explorer 6.

Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office currently has no plans to change its web browsers.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Astraporta

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the most recent annual accounts for Astraporta (UK) Limited were filed within the statutory period.

Ian Lucas: The latest accounts were made up to 31 March 2007 and were filed on time on 31 January 2008. The company's accounting reference date was extended from 31 March 2008 to 30 September 2008 on 22 January 2009 so the next accounts would be due by 30 July 2009. Astraporta (UK) Limited went into liquidation in March 2009.

Bankruptcy

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will limit the circumstances in which creditors can petition for bankruptcy to cases of borrower fraud and cases where borrowers have wilfully or culpably neglected to engage with a creditor's demands for payment.

Ian Lucas: There are no plans to restrict the ability of creditors to petition for bankruptcy to the circumstances suggested. Protections already exist to ensure that bankruptcy is only used as a remedy when genuine recovery attempts have proved to be unsuccessful.
	Legislative provisions exist to enable the court to take account of reasonable offers for payment that have been made by the debtor. There is no evidence to suggest that the bankruptcy system is being abused by creditors unwilling to consider such offers and the proportion of bankruptcy orders made on creditors' petitions has remained steady in recent years.

Bearwood Corporate Services

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the most recent annual accounts for Bearwood Corporate Services Limited were filed within the statutory period.

Ian Lucas: The latest accounts for Bearwood Corporate Services Limited were made up to 31 March 2007 and were filed on time on 31 January 2008. The company's accounting reference date was extended from 31 March 2008 to 30 September 2008 on 22 January 2009 so the next accounts are due to be filed by 30 July 2009.

Bearwood Holdings

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the most recent annual accounts for Bearwood Holdings Limited were filed within the statutory period.

Ian Lucas: The latest accounts were made up to 31 March 2007 and were filed on time on 31 January 2008. The company's accounting reference date was extended from 31 March 2008 to 30 September 2008 on 22 January 2009 so the next accounts would be due by 30 July 2009. Bearwood Holdings Limited went into liquidation in March 2009.

Business

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require large companies to publish an annual table showing their assets, liabilities, incomes, profits, losses, employees and taxes paid in each country in which each operates.

Ian Lucas: For UK companies, segmental reporting is currently dealt with under either UK generally accepted accounting principles (UK GAAP) (specifically Statement of Standard Accounting Practice 25) or international financial reporting standards (specifically IFRS 8). These have been developed by the UK and international accounting standards boards. IFRS 8 was modernised by the international accounting standards board (IASB) in 2006 as part of their global convergence project. The UK accounting standards board is currently progressing the convergence of UK GAAP to IFRS. As a result of these major convergence projects in accounting, I currently have no plans to introduce further proposals in this respect.
	However, my hon. Friend may be interested to learn that HM Treasury is exploring whether country-by-country reporting of tax payments might offer a suitable means of advancing the tax transparency agenda.

Business: Political Donations

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require small companies to disclose political donations in the notes to their financial statements.

Ian Lucas: No. Under schedule 5 to The Small Companies and Groups (Accounts and Directors' Report) Regulations 2008, small companies are required to disclose particulars of political donations in the directors' report if the aggregate amount of all political donations and political expenditure in respect of EU political parties, organisations or independent election candidates in the relevant financial year exceeds 2,000. The particulars must include the name of each political party, other political organisation or independent election candidate to whom a political donation has been made, and the total amount given to that party, organisation or candidate in the financial year. There are separate disclosure requirements in respect of donations to non-EU political parties.
	In the case of a company which is the wholly owned subsidiary of a company incorporated in the United Kingdom, the disclosure, if required, will be made by the holding company.

Competition: Aerials

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what provisions of competition law apply to mobile telephone companies.

Ian Lucas: Ofcom is the independent regulator for the UK communications industries, including telecommunications. Sectoral regulation applies, in addition to the application of UK and European competition law, which applies to mobile telephone companies as it does to all undertakings, and the application of UK consumer law.
	Chapter 9 of Ofcom's Publication Mobile citizens, mobile consumers sets out an overview of the most significant forms of regulation in place that effect the mobile sector and which can be found at:
	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/msa08/msa.pdf
	The most significant Acts that relate to Ofcom's work are:
	Communications Act 2003. This Act gives effect to much of the regulatory framework for electronic communications that has been established by the European Commission across the European Union.
	Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006. This Act, which consolidated a number of earlier pieces of legislation, sets out the regime for licensing the right to use spectrum, and empowers Ofcom to take action to prevent unlicensed use of spectrum;
	Competition Act 1998. This sets out the UK's basic competition law. Ofcom is one of a number of concurrent regulators empowered to enforce competition law. Ofcom, as a concurrent regulator of the communications sector, also has powers to apply and enforce articles 81 and 82 of the EC treaty in competition matters where they may affect trade between member states; and
	Enterprise Act 2002. Like the Competition Act, this Act forms part of the UK's competition law regime, providing the mechanism for Ofcom (and other regulators) to refer matters to the Competition Commission. It also provides the framework for Ofcom (and other regulators) to enforce various UK laws to protect consumers, and for the assessment of mergers and acquisitions.

Insolvency

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1445-6W, on insolvency, what the reasons are for the time taken to finalise liquidation of companies which commenced 10 or more years ago.

Ian Lucas: A liquidator may only close the liquidation once their administration is for all practical purposes complete, once any residual assets of the insolvent company have been realised and distributed to those entitled to receive the proceeds.
	Several possible reasons could give rise to a delay in finalising the liquidation but the most likely would be that the circumstances of the case are such that asset realisations may be protracted. Complexity could arise, for example, because of difficulties as to identity, ownership or location of assets and in some circumstances legal action may be necessary. In other cases the nature of the assets may be such that the interests of creditors are best served by delaying realisation of the assets until some future date.

Iron and Steel

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Government will take steps to increase the demand for steel in the UK.

Ian Lucas: The Government have announced a number of measures that should increase demand for steel in the UK. In the pre-Budget report my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a fiscal stimulus, including 3 billion of capital expenditure would be brought forward from 2010-11 to 2008-09 and 2009-10, to support the economy. Projects include increasing capacity in the motorway and rail network, improving and building new social housing, renewing primary and secondary schools, and investing in energy efficiency measures. In his Budget statement the Chancellor also announced private sector investment worth over 4 billion pa for 2009/10 and 2010/11 in energy (nearly 50 per cent. higher than five years ago).
	In addition, much of what the Government are doing to support business through the downturn is aimed at the many enterprises that are customers of companies in the steel industry. This includes the vehicle scrappage scheme, which for a temporary period will give people a discount of 2,000 for trading in vehicles older than 10 years when buying a new vehicle. This comes on top of measures in our Real Help for Business programme, launched in January which included a 1.3 billion Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme.

Manufacturing Industries

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on the Manufacturing Perceptions survey.

Ian Lucas: A survey on the perceptions of manufacturing will be a key workstream for the Manufacturing Insight director to consider when he/she is appointed. The director's post has been advertised and interviews will take place shortly.

Manufacturing Insight

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms there will be for co-operation between Manufacturing Insight and  (a) Business Link and  (b) the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight will be looking to establish a positive image for manufacturing to influence young people and their parents that modern manufacturing can offer attractive and stimulating employment opportunities. Business Link (BL) and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) provide support and advice to individual companies to help improve their productivity and competitiveness. Case studies from both BL and MAS will provide Manufacturing Insight with useful examples of companies who are successful and demonstrate the way in which manufacturing has moved on from the current public perception.

Manufacturing Insight

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are planned for his Department's Manufacturing Insight office.

Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight will be launched later this year. We are in the process of recruiting a director for Manufacturing Insight. After the director has been appointed, the Manufacturing Insight Management Board will approve a business plan that will include proposals on the allocation of staff.

Manufacturing Insight

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills who has been asked to be a role model for young people as part of the Manufacturing Insight programme.

Ian Lucas: Role models for Manufacturing Insight have yet to be identified. Once appointed the Manufacturing Insight director will work with the management board on the role models that should be approached to promote Manufacturing Insight.

Manufacturing Insight

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent to date on establishing Manufacturing Insight.

Ian Lucas: Manufacturing Insight will be launched later in the year. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has allocated 50,000 this year as a contribution to start-up costs. The Management Board will consider a Business Plan when the new director is in place, which will seek approval on spend.

Manufacturing Insight

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated for Manufacturing Insight in the next 12 months.

Ian Lucas: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has allocated 50,000 this year towards start-up costs, as part of a package of core funding, which is to come from the wider business community.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the maximum number of car purchases which may be supported by the car scrappage scheme;
	(2)  how much of the funding allocated to the car scrappage scheme has been disbursed to date.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 9 June 2009
	300 million of Government funding has been allocated to cover a small amount of monitoring and administration costs and the rest to support car purchases. Over 94,000 orders for new vehicles have been taken since the scheme was announced in the Budget and over 14 million has been paid out by Government.

Phorm

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what response he has made to the European Commission's decision of 14 April 2009 to open an infringement proceeding relating to the use of Phorm's targeted online advertising technology by UK internet service providers.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Home Office expressed an informal view about targeted online advertising and RIPA in response to a number of requests. That note concludes that targeted online advertising systems might be lawful if consent was expressed appropriately. It did not consider whether the advertising system was either opt-in or opt-out. The Information Commissioner has confirmed that consent should be given on the basis of an opt-in system.
	No discussions have taken place between the Home Office and Phorm regarding the use of its technology for counter-terrorism purposes and none are planned.
	The European Commission requested a reply within two months and the Government have responded accordingly. It would not be appropriate to disclose the response while the Commission is still considering it.

CABINET OFFICE

eQuality Networks

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding awards  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) Futurebuilders have made to eQuality Networks in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Neither the Cabinet Office nor Futurebuilders has provided any funding for eQuality Networks in the last five years.

Forensic Therapies Limited

Denis MacShane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been paid to Forensic Therapies Limited from the Adults Facing Chronic Exclusion fund in each year since 2002.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	The project has been awarded 525,000 in total, to be paid by September 2010.
	Total paid to date is 262,500, comprising:
	
		
			
			 2007-08 87,500 
			 2008-09 175,000

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Apprentices

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) 16 and  (b) 17 year olds are participating in apprenticeships linked to (i) full-time and (ii) part-time jobs.

Iain Wright: In 2007/08, 33,300 16-year-olds and 36,400 17-year-olds started an apprenticeship. Information on whether apprenticeships are linked to full or part-time jobs is not available. The number of hours worked per week is determined by individual employers. However, in order to be eligible for public funding, employment must be for at least 16 hours per week unless otherwise agreed with the LSC on a case-by-case basis.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether energy efficiency standards have been stipulated for circulator pumps to be installed under the Building Schools for the Future projects.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not stipulate energy efficiency standards for circulator pumps within the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Our approach is to set targets for carbon emissions by a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy systems.
	We have developed guidance to help the designers of newly built schools achieve their target level of carbon reduction. This guidance encourages the use of energy efficient equipment without being prescriptive about design solutions. Additional funding has been provided to all new secondary schools within BSF, academies and One School Pathfinder programmes to reduce their carbon emissions by 60 per cent.

Children's Play: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated for children's play schemes in  (a) Merseyside and  (b) Crosby in 2009-10.

Dawn Primarolo: Following the commitments made in the Children's Plan in 2007 and the National Play Strategy in 2008, every top tier local authority in England will receive either play pathfinder or playbuilder funding between 2008 to 2011 through the play capital investment programme.
	On average all play pathfinder authorities will receive around 2 million capital funding and 500,000 revenue funding, while playbuilder authorities will receive around 1 million capital and 45,000 revenue funding. Play pathfinder authorities will use their allocated funding to deliver a minimum of 28 play areas plus a new staffed adventure playground, while playbuilder authorities will deliver a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. The play areas that are delivered can be either completely new areas or existing areas which are significantly refurbished.
	Local authorities have joined the programme, and so started receiving their funding, in two phases: wave 1 started in April 2008 and wave 2 in April 2009. Knowsley and Sefton are both wave 1 authorities, while the other three authorities in Merseyside (Liverpool, St. Helens and Wirral) joined the programme in April 2009. Knowsley is a play pathfinder authority and the other four are all playbuilder authorities.
	The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocated to Merseyside authorities and the phase they joined the capital play programme. Allocations for 2010-11 are indicative and will be confirmed in January 2010.
	Decisions on where the capital funding is spent within local authority boundaries are taken locally, based on grant requirements around improved play spaces being provided where they are most needed and based on a robust consultation process with local children and young people, families and wider communities.
	We are encouraging all Members of Parliament to proactively engage with their local play capital programmes as they roll out, and we are asking local authorities to ensure that their local Members of Parliament and council elected members are appropriately consulted, and briefed, about where the capital funding is spent.
	
		
			  Wave 1 authorities 
			   
			   Capital funding  Revenue funding 
			  Local authority  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Knowsley 597,859 1,579,364 (1)n/a 174,768 219,516 111,344 
			 Sefton 297,984 390,499 440,174 12,505 19,829 13,219 
			 (1) Wave 1 play pathfinder authorities receive capital funding in 2008-09 and 2009-10 only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Wave 2 authorities 
			   
			   Capital funding  Revenue funding 
			  Local authority  2009-10  2010-11  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Liverpool 535,824 603,984 27,871 18,581 
			 St. Helens 528,703 595,958 27,265 18,177 
			 Wirral 530,952 598,493 27,389 18,259

Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in each local authority area are in  (a) infant,  (b) primary and  (c) secondary classes of over 30 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The number of children in each local authority area that are in  (a) infant,  (b) primary and  (c) secondary classes of over 30 pupils can be found in tables B13, B12 and B14 respectively of the Statistical First Release Pupil Characteristics and Class Sizes in Maintained Schools in England: January 2008 (Provisional). This can be accessed from the following link:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/index.shtml
	Although national information on class sizes for 2009 can be found in the Statistical First Release Schools, Pupils and Their Characteristics: January 2009 (Provisional), information for local authorities has not yet been published. It is expected that this will be published in late July.

Class Sizes

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary school pupils were educated in class sizes of between  (a) 20 and 25 and  (b) 26 and 30 pupils in the latest year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : classes as taught( 2) , as at January 2009 (provisional) in England 
			   Number of classes  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils 
			 All classes 142,660 3,739,990 100.0 
			 20-25 pupils 37,690 865,870 23.2 
			 26-30 pupils 77,320 2,209,100 59.1 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January.  Note: Pupil and class numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in England have an average class size of fewer than (a) 15, (b) 20, (c) 25 and (d) 30 pupils in Key Stage 1; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number of schools by Key Stage 1 average class size( 2,3 ) as at January 2009 (provisional) in England 
			  Key Stage 1 Average Class  Size Number of Schools( 4) 
			 Fewer than 15 283 
			 Fewer than 20 1,301 
			 Fewer than 25 5,043 
			 Fewer than 30 12,313 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes reception classes. (3) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census. (4) Schools are counted against each relevant row e.g. those in 'fewer than 20' are also in fewer than 15.  Source:  School Census

Class Sizes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will estimate the effect on public expenditure of reducing class sizes at Key Stage 1 to an average of 15 pupils.

Vernon Coaker: The additional cost for financial year 2008-09 of the extra teachers required for an average class size of 15 for Key Stage 1 pupils is estimated to be around 1.5 billion. This estimate excludes the costs of additional support staff, additional classrooms and other factors such as training costs of additional teachers.

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not have any contracts with Demos.

Departmental Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of the  (a) meat,  (b) fruit and  (c) vegetables procured by his Department in the last months was produced in the UK.

Diana Johnson: For the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, the percentage of British sourced meat, fruit and vegetables procured by the Department for Children, Schools and Families' catering provider, Aramark, was:
	 (a) Meat: 10 per cent.
	 (b) Fruit: 40 per cent.
	 (c) Vegetables: 60 per cent.

Dyslexia: Teachers

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21(st)-century schools, what the evidential basis is for his estimate that 4,000 additional dyslexia teachers will be required; in which local authority areas he expects such requirements to arise; and what plans he has to make funding allocations to schools for the employment of dyslexia teachers.

Vernon Coaker: Of the 10 million funding announced by the Secretary of State on 22 June 2009 to support the implementation of Sir Jim Rose's recommendations on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, it is estimated that 7.6 million will be invested in the provision of specialist dyslexia training for teachers. We expect that this will enable around 4,000 teachers to train in appropriately accredited specialist dyslexia training over this financial year and next.
	We are working with the Dyslexia-Specific Learning Difficulties Trust, and other partners, to determine how to best organise the delivery of specialist training. We expect to provide further details on this in the autumn.

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which  (a) specific and  (b) area-based grants are distributed to local authorities by each division of his Department.

Vernon Coaker: The following table shows allocations made to local authorities by the Department through specific grants and area based grant for 2008-09, the latest year for which final figures are available, split between recurrent and capital funding.
	
		
			  DCSF grants allocated to local authorities in England 2008-09 
			  Grants  Allocation ( million) 
			  Specific grantsrecurrent  
			 Dedicated schools grant 29,137.6 
			 School development grant (schools element) 1,915.0 
			 Sure start, early years and child care 1,286.5 
			 School standards grant 1,190.2 
			 School standards grant (personalisation) 355.9 
			 Targeted support for the primary school national strategy 195.8 
			 Ethnic minority achievement grant 184.9 
			 Targeted support for the secondary school national strategy 109.5 
			 Music 82.6 
			 Extending and increasing flexibility of free entitlement for 3-4 year olds 80.0 
			 School lunch grant 78.8 
			 Extended schoolssustainability 73.5 
			 National challenge 54.9 
			 Youth opportunity fund 35.8 
			 City challenge 32.8 
			 ContactPoint 27.2 
			 Consortia funding 26.7 
			 Parenting support strategy grant 18.8 
			 Short breaks 17.9 
			 Diploma grant 17.4 
			 Key stage 4 engagement programme 17.0 
			 Free entitlement for 2 year olds 17.0 
			 1-2-1 tuition and participation key stage 2 early roll out 2 15.7 
			 Playing for success 12.8 
			 Targeted improvement grant 12.2 
			 Empowering young people pilot 10.7 
			 London pay addition 9.3 
			 Activity agreements 9.2 
			 Targeted mental health in schools 8.3 
			 Family intervention projects 8.0 
			 Making good progress 7.7 
			 Extended schools subsidy 7.1 
			 Challenge and support funding 5.2 
			 Youth crime action plan grant 4.5 
			 Parenting practitioner grant 3.9 
			 Disabled children's access to childcare 3.6 
			 Fair play pathfinder 2.8 
			 Friday and Saturday night activities grant 2.1 
			 Youth crime family intervention project 2.0 
			 Information system for parents and providers 1.7 
			 Right2B Cared4 pilots 1.6 
			 Staying Put: 18+ family placement pilot 1.5 
			 Child poverty family intervention projects 1.3 
			 0-7 partnership pilots 1.2 
			 Transport co-ordinators and rural pairing 1.1 
			 Intensive intervention project 1.1 
			 Social work practices pilot 0.9 
			 Work focussed services 0.9 
			 Multi treatment foster care 0.8 
			 Virtual school head pilot 0.8 
			 Fair play playbuilder 0.5 
			 LA child poverty innovation pilots 0.4 
			 Child development grant' pilot grant 0.3 
			 BHLP: children in care pilots 0.2 
			 L3 teaching and learning network projects 0.1 
			 Teenage parent supported housing 0.1 
			 Parenting implementation project innovation fund 0.1 
			 Gender equality funding 0.1 
			 Total specific grantsrecurrent 35,095.0 
			   
			  A rea based grant  
			 Connexions 459.2 
			 School development grant (LA retained element) 168.3 
			 Children's fund 131.8 
			 Extended schoolsstart up 96.9 
			 Positive activities for young people 52.8 
			 Care matters 34.3 
			 Secondary national strategy: central co-ordination 30.0 
			 Primary national strategy: central co-ordination 30.0 
			 Teenage pregnancy 27.5 
			 School improvement partners 23.6 
			 Children's social care workforce 18.2 
			 Education health partnerships 16.2 
			 School intervention 15.0 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 partnerships funding 14.5 
			 Secondary behaviour and attendance: central coordination 13.8 
			 Extended rights for free travel 10.6 
			 Child death review processes 7.2 
			 Substance misuse 7.0 
			 School travel advisers 6.9 
			 Choice advisers 5.6 
			 Youth taskforce 4.3 
			 General duty on sustainable travel to school 4.0 
			 Preventing violent extremism 1.7 
			 Child trust fund 0.8 
			 Total area based grant 1,180.2 
			   
			 Total Recurrent funding 36,275.2 
			   
			  Specific grantscapital  
			 Devolved formula capital 802.0 
			 Building schools for the future 635.8 
			 Targeted capital fund (TCF)one school pathinders 435.4 
			 Sure start, early years and child care 295.0 
			 Harnessing technology 200.8 
			 Targeted capital fund (TCF)main programme 170.5 
			 Primary capital programme 143.5 
			 Framework academies 101.3 
			 Extended schools (capital) 84.0 
			 Targeted capital fund (TCF)standards and diversity 53.6 
			 Youth capital fund 26.5 
			 Miscellaneous capital 24.8 
			 Basic need safety valve 22.7 
			 Youth capital fund plus 22.6 
			 Home access for targeted groups 18.0 
			 Specialist schools capital 17.5 
			 City learning centres 15.8 
			 School travel plans 15.4 
			 Fair play playbuilders 12.9 
			 Fair play pathfinders 11.9 
			 Targeted capital fund (TCF)kitchens 8.3 
			 ICT: mobile technology 7.3 
			 Integrated children's system 5.0 
			 Short breaks 4.5 
			 Information system for parents and providers 4.0 
			 Targeted capital fund (TCF)cookery in the curriculum 1.0 
			 Total specific grantscapital 3,140.0

Local Government Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what recent estimate has been made of the annual cost to  (a) his Department of distributing each grant made by it to local authorities and  (b) local authorities of administering each such grant;
	(2)  what  (a) eligibility conditions and  (b) compliance measures are in place in respect of the expenditure by local authorities of each grant distributed by his Department; and what recent estimate has been made of the annual cost to his Department of monitoring the compliance by local authorities with such measures in respect of each such grant.

Vernon Coaker: No estimate has been made of the annual costs to the Department or to local authorities, of distributing, administering and assessing compliance of local authority grants. Information on the eligibility criteria and compliance measures for grants are set out in departmental circulars which can be found on the Department's Every Child Matters website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/childrensservicesfunding/childrensservicesfunding/
	Further details of the grants covering school funding can be found on the teachernet website at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/schoolfunding2008to11/
	and
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/capitalinvestment/guidanceindex/

Office for Standards in Education Children's Services and Skills

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of school inspectors working on behalf of Ofsted  (a) have been headteachers and  (b) have qualified teacher status; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 6 July 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	As of 2 July 2009, Ofsted employs 443 Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI), including 82 that have a management role. Of the total, 245 (55%) inspect schools. The remainder inspect further education, work-based learning, social care and other sectors. All of the 245 who inspect schools have teaching experience in one or more education sectors as this is a key criterion for selection to the role.
	I am unable to provide the information you seek about which inspectors were formerly headteachers, as we do not record electronically the career profiles of individuals. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost through a review of each individual's personnel file or by a request to each individual to provide the information.
	There are also 1948 additional inspectors provided through our regional inspection service providers (RISPs), of whom 1567 (80%) undertake school inspections. I can confirm that almost all of these additional inspectors have teaching experience, as this is one of the key criteria for selection to the role. However, there is a very small number who were former lay inspectors under the framework for inspection that was known as section 10, superseded by the current framework in September 2005. In the former framework, each inspection team included a lay inspector who was fully trained as an inspector, but had no previous experience in teaching or school management. Their purpose was to bring a lay person's view to the inspection process. A few of the most experienced of them have been employed by RISPs as additional inspectors.
	I am unable to provide you with the number of these inspectors as this information is contained in the personnel records held by the RISPs. It can only be obtained at disproportionate cost through a manual search of personnel files.
	With regard to the proportion of additional inspectors who have been headteachers, Ofsted does not have access to this information as we are not involved in the recruitment process. This work is undertaken by the RISPs.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Physical Education

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils aged between five and 16 years spent at least two hours per week on high quality physical education and school sport in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The percentage of pupils aged 5-16 spending at least two hours per week on high quality physical education and school sport as measured by the annual school sports survey conducted by TNS is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2007/08 90 
			 2006/07 86 
			 2005/06 80 
			 2004/05 69 
			 2003/04 62

Pupil Referral Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupil referral units which closed in the past five years had never been inspected by Ofsted; and how many such units had received one Ofsted inspection and been found to be inadequate at that inspection.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 24 June 2009
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 3 July 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	130 pupil referral units are recorded as having closed between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2009. Of these, 54 were never inspected by Ofsted and 37 had received no more than one inspection. Eight of these 37 were placed in special measures at that inspection.
	Special measures is an Ofsted category, defined in the Education Act 2005, meaning that a school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. Please be aware that the framework for inspecting maintained schools changed in January 2000 and September 2005. As a result, there has been no consistent 'inadequate' category over time. This response is, therefore, limited to those pupil referral units placed in special measures, as this category has been in use throughout the period in question.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of school days missed through unauthorised absence in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: In 2007-08, 9.6 million days out of a possible 948.9 million school days were lost due to unauthorised absence, giving an unauthorised absence rate of 1.01 per cent.
	Our focus is on reducing all forms of absence, not just a small subset. Absence rates are down from 7.41 per cent. in 1996-97 to 6.29 per cent. in 2007-08, which means that on average there are 70,000 more pupils in school every day. The issue is not whether the pupil had permission to be absent; it is how much absence the pupil has. The number of 'persistent absentees' has fallen from 4.1 per cent. in 2006-07 to 3.6 per cent. in 2007-08.
	Findings on absence during the 2007-08 school year were published in a Statistical First Release in February 2009 at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000832/index.shtml

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average expenditure per school pupil in Hemel Hempstead was in each year since 1989.

Vernon Coaker: Figures are not available for the parliamentary constituency of Hemel Hempstead as data are collected at a local authority level. The available information on the average expenditure per school pupil in Hertfordshire local authority is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  School based expenditure per pupil in local authority maintained schools in Hertfordshire 1992-93 to 2007-08 
			1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99 
			Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary) 
			 919 Hertfordshire 1,950 1,970 2,050 2,120 2,190 2,150 2,270 
		
	
	
		
			1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02 
			Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (including pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary) 
			 919 Hertfordshire 2,360 2,350 2,540 2,520 2,840 2,820 
		
	
	
		
			2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary)  Total  (excluding pre-primary) 
			 919 Hertfordshire 2,910 3,170 3,380 3,610 4,020 4,040 
			  Notes: 1. School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. 2. 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DFES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. Each table represents a change in source. From 2002-03 school based expenditure is taken from Section 52 Outturn Table A line 51 net current expenditure (NCE). For 2001-02 and earlier years the expenditure is calculated as lines 1 to 12 less lines 29, 30, 35 and 37. This differs from the old Net Institutional Expenditure (NIE) calculation only in the treatment of meals and milk which is no longer excluded and no adjustments for balances are now made. This is taken from Section 52 Outturn Table 3 for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 and from the RO1 form previously. 3. The calculation for 2002-03 onwards is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001-02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses. In 2001-02 this accounted for approximately 70 per pupil. From 2002-03 onwards only the schools element of these categories is included and this accounted for approximately 50 per pupil of the 2002-03 total. Also, for some LAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LA part of the form from 2002-03, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources. 4. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DFES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 5. Local government reorganisation (LGR) took place during the mid to late 1990's and those LAs that did not exist either pre or post LGR are shaded out for those years. 6. Spending in 1997-98 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central Government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998-99. 7. The 1999-2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance. Consequently LAs where there entire pupil provision were educated in GM schools will show a unit cost of zero prior to 1999-2000. 8. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999-2000. 9. School based expenditure in LA maintained nursery schools was not recorded in 2002-03 and comparable figures are not available for 2003-04 onwards. 10. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 30 June 2009.

School Leaving

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils left school without achieving Level 4 in  (a) mathematics and  (b) English in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: Schooling is compulsory until the end of Key Stage 4, so no pupils left school without completing Key Stage 1.
	The National Curriculum standards have been designed so that most pupils will progress by approximately one level every two years. This means that by the end of KS1, pupils are expected to reach Level 2.
	Since 2005, the Department only published teacher assessment results for Key Stage 1. These are now the only results schools are required to report to the Department for Children, Schools and Families. In reading, writing and mathematics, these results are informed by the task/tests activities undertaken by children during the academic year.
	Prior to 2004, both National Curriculum task/test and teacher assessments had been submitted to the Department and provided complementary information about pupil attainment.
	Figures for results from 2004 onwards are not directly comparable with those prior to 2004, and care is needed in interpreting trends in the data.
	The national results at Key Stage 1 from 1998-2008 can be found in the following publications. These show for seven year-olds, the level distribution at key Stage 1.
	
		
			   Publication Link 
			 1998 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000053/index.shtml 
			 1999 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000164/index.shtml 
			 2000 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000262/index.shtml 
			 2001 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000333/index.shtml 
			 2002 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000356/index.shtml 
			 2003 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000472/index.shtml 
			 2004 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000488/index.shtml 
			 2005 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000635/index.shtml 
			 2006(1) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000672/index.shtml 
			 2007(1) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000740/index.shtml 
			 2008(1) http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000806/index.shtml 
			 (1) From 2006, only provisional results are published as there is little change from provisional to final data

School Leaving: Oxfordshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who will be responsible for ensuring that pupils leaving school in Oxfordshire in 2009 will have a place either at a sixth form college or on an apprenticeship.

Iain Wright: The September Guarantee is a guarantee of a suitable offer of a place in post-16 learning for all young people leaving compulsory education at 16 and all 17-year-olds.
	Local authorities are responsible for delivering the September Guarantee. Successful delivery relies on a wide range of partners, including schools, colleges, Connexions services and the Learning and Skills Council.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish the most recent national statistics on school admission; what the reasons are for the time taken to publish them; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department's statisticians expect to publish the release towards the end of July. They normally announce specific release dates at least four weeks in advance but in view of the delay to this release they may announce the specific release date two weeks in advance. The announcement will be made on the UK Statistics Authority publication hub release calendar and the Department's Research and Statistics Gateway:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	The decision to postpone the release was taken, by statisticians, because further analysis was needed to confirm the validity of the results for the numbers of admissions and appeals. Ministers were not involved in the decision and have not been informed of any of the results or analysis. A message was placed on the Department's Research and Statistics Gateway to inform users of the delay; and the UK Statistics Authority was informed.

Schools: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to reduce levels of anti-Semitism in schools; what recent discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had on this issue; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: Schools are under legal duties to promote both race equality and community cohesion. Ofsted inspections include checks on whether schools are promoting community cohesion and providing an environment where all pupils feel safe and are able to learn and achieve. This makes it compulsory for schools to have measures in place to prevent and tackle all forms of discrimination and bullying however, it is motivated and to foster good relations between different groups of pupils.
	In March 2006 we published specialist guidance on bullying around race, religion and culture which focused on preventing and tackling racist and religious bullying in schools and included specific material on bullying related to anti-Semitism. We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Strategies to ensure the guidance is effectively embedded in local authorities and schools. We have also published guidance on promoting community cohesion to schools in July 2007 and an online resource pack in May 2008 to help schools with building understanding and appreciation of others from different backgrounds among their pupils, as well as developing a shared vision and promoting good relations.
	Furthermore, teaching of the Holocaust is a compulsory part of the history curriculum in secondary schools, and we are working in partnership with key stakeholders to ensure teachers have access to appropriate training and resources to help them deliver effective Holocaust education.
	For the future, we intend next year to introduce a new statutory duty on schools to record all incidents of bullying between pupils. We will consult on this in the autumn and also on whether schools should be obliged to report these incidents to their local authority.

Schools: Expenditure

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals for the  (a) monitoring and  (b) reporting of expenditure by schools at national level;
	(2)  what mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor the performance of schools in relation to their spending.

Vernon Coaker: Section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 requires local authorities to prepare a statement containing information relating to their planned expenditure as prescribed before the beginning of each financial year and at the end of each financial year a statement of the expenditure actually incurred in the year in a prescribed form. The prescribed forms are currently set out in the Education (Budget Statements) (England) Regulations 2008 (as amended) and the Education (Outturn Statements) (England) Regulations 2009. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill currently before Parliament includes provisions to replace Section 52. In addition, the Consistent Financial Reporting (England) Regulations 2003 (as amended) require maintained schools to prepare a financial statement in accordance with approved headings and in compliance with the normal established accounting practices of the local education authority. Copies of these returns are sent to the Department. The financial data are validated and published.
	The local authority information is published on the section 52 website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm?action=section52.defaultID=58
	The Consistent Financial Reporting data underpin the Schools Financial Benchmarking website. This site provides users with the tools to compare their school's income and expenditure profile with that of similar schools so that they can make informed decisions on how to manage their resources effectively. They can tailor their spending and re-allocate resources to ensure that education spending reflects local educational policy and priorities and is effective in delivering them. Benchmarking is not used solely to focus on reducing costs, but to also improve the quality and impact of a school's services. Benchmarking is a requirement for meeting the Financial Management Standard in Schools.
	More details about the framework may be obtained from:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/valueformoney/index.cfm?action=Benchmarking.default

Schools: Finance

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what grants have been allocated under the Targeted Capital Fund in the last three years for which figures are available; and which of these were made under the standards and diversity element of the fund;
	(2)  pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 3 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 49-50WS, on schools capital funding (2009-10), how much funding his Department has allocated to the Targeted Capital Fund to date; and what the likely distribution of such funding is between the fund's programmes.

Vernon Coaker: In 2006-07 there was a bidding round under the Targeted Capital Fund (TCF) against published criteria, aimed at raising standards through addressing building need. This resulted in allocations of some 311 million (with payments phased over the life of each project).
	As part of the CSR07 process it was decided that much of the available resources available for new TCF projects would be allocated to those authorities who were not yet in the Building Schools for the Future programme. This meant that 76 authorities were allocated 8 million each to invest in their schools to address building needs concerned with the 14-19 agenda and/or special educational needs and disabilities, totalling 608 million.
	This was originally phased to be paid as 152 million in 2009-10 and 456 million in 2010-11, although the subsequent fiscal stimulus initiative has now changed this phasing to 303 million in 2009-10 and 305 million in 2010-11.
	The other main TCF categories announced through the CSR process were the application based Standards and Diversity programme, through which 131 million has been allocated in 2008-09 (with payments phased over the spending period), and kitchens and dining facilities, through which 150 million has been allocated over the spending period.

Schools: Finance

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the objectives of the Standards and Diversity Fund are; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operation of the Fund;
	(2)  how many faith-based schools have received grants under both the Targeted Capital Fund and the Standards and Diversity Fund in the last two years.

Vernon Coaker: The Standards and Diversity Targeted Capital Fund supports our aims to improve choice and diversity of school provision as part of our drive to raise standards across all schools. It provides an incentive for local authorities and schools to work together to develop capital investment plans at those schools where the investment coming through the Department's strategic investment programmesBuilding Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmewill not provide the necessary resources required in a timely fashion to help raise standards for pupils.
	The purposes of projects supported through the fund include:
	developing provision at maintained boarding schools, non-maintained special schools and Music and Dance Scheme schools;
	removing significant numbers of surplus places;
	helping to raise standards through increasing parental choice and diversity of provision in an area through the expansion of successful and popular maintained schools;
	encouraging new entrants to the maintained sector (including proposers of new Trust schools and voluntary aided schools and independent schools seeking to enter the sector) and
	supporting federations of schools and groups of schools working together under a single trust.
	In order to maximise the impact of the capital investment, it is important to allocate funding to projects as early as possible in the spending period. To date, 66 projects totalling 131 million have been approved in this spending period. We continue to review the operation of all our capital programmes and any lessons learned through this process will, of course, be reflected in the design of future programmes.
	Of the 66 projects approved to date through the Standards and Diversity Targeted Capital Fund, 18 projects involving 24 faith-based schools have had funding allocated. The other main strands of the Targeted Capital Fund are allocated at local authority level.
	This applies notably to allocations for:
	supporting the reform of education for 14 to 19-year-olds
	enhancing facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities,
	strengthening cookery in the curriculum,
	enhancing kitchens and dining facilities.
	With all of these, it is the responsibility of the local authority to decide priorities for investment of these funds, including at voluntary-aided or other faith-based schools.

Schools: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to respond to the report of the Audit Commission on improving economy and efficiency in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: I welcome the Audit Commission report Valuable Lessons: improving economy and efficiency in schools.
	There is already a range of tools available to help schools make the most effective use of their resources including financial benchmarking, the strategic planning guide, the Financial Management Standard in Schools and the offer of a free one-day consultancy visit on improving value for money.
	The Education Procurement Centre is working with schools to carry out procurement health checks which help to identify where savings can be made. The e-procurement tool OPEN has been developed to help schools buy products online and compare prices of a range of suppliers.
	The report supports our position on surplus school balances. It is sound financial management for schools to retain a small surplus from year to year, but revenue funding is primarily for teacher and support staff pay and to support the education of children in school. It should not be needed for capital improvement projects given that separate capital funding is available.
	Schools and authorities must work to reduce high balances over the next two years. If total revenue balances and the excessive balances held by individual schools do not reduce substantially by 2010-11, the Government will consult on further action from 2011-12 to bring the total down.

Schools: Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the assessment process for the Financial Management Standard in Schools for the purposes of making available comparative data on the financial performance of schools in the same area.

Vernon Coaker: The Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) was introduced in May 2004 and is intended to help schools in evaluating the quality of their financial management. An independent evaluation report of FMSiS, published on 21 August 2008, recognised that the standard is helping to provide a consistent approach on resource management across all schools. In line with the recommendations from that evaluation the standard will continue in its current form.
	Consistent Financial Reporting provides income and expenditure data across a wide range of categories on a consistent basis for all local authority maintained schools in England. It is used within the Department and by external researchers for modelling the impact of new policies.
	The data underpin the Schools Financial Benchmarking website. This site provides users with the tools to compare their school's income and expenditure profile with that of similar schools so that they can make informed decisions on how to manage their resources effectively. They can tailor their spending and re-allocate resources to ensure that education spending reflects local educational policy and priorities and is effective in delivering them. Benchmarking is not used solely to focus on reducing costs, but to also improve the quality and impact of a school's services.
	The site is accessed by over 10,000 schools and local authority users each year.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21(st)-century schools, what additional training he proposes for chairs of school governing bodies; from what budget the cost of such training will be drawn; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of  (a) funding and  (b) monitoring the outcomes of such training.

Vernon Coaker: The Department produced the Taking The Chair programme for chairs of maintained school governing bodies in England in 2004. Although chairs were recommended to undertake this training, at the present time it is not mandatory. We will be improving this training so it will focus on providing effective support and challenge to the head teacher and school leadership team and holding them to account. As with all governor training, the costs will be met from schools' delegated budgets. As yet, no estimate has been made of the cost of developing the training or of monitoring its outcomes.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on taking account of the level of financial experience of applicants for school governor posts; and what information his Department holds on local authority provision of training in financial management for school governors.

Vernon Coaker: The Department has issued no guidance on taking account of the level of financial experience of applicants for school governor posts.
	The Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS) was introduced in May 2004 and was intended to help schools in evaluating the quality of their financial management and to aid in training staff to become better financial managers. As part of the FMSiS accreditation process, LA assessors must evaluate governors' financial management competencies to establish training needs.
	We do not collect data on the provision of local authority training in financial management, however the Department has contributed by making training funds in the region of 200,000 available to all LAs each year since FMSiS was implemented. These funds are specifically used to train school staff and governors in the successful implementation of the standard.

Schools: Procurement

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make an assessment of the merits of encouraging schools which are in the same area to use joint procurement processes for contracts for provision of support staff and facilities.

Diana Johnson: Where a joint approach to procurement (or collaboration) is adopted, the benefits typically seen are:
	Improved value for money;
	More reliable quality of supply; and
	Better quality of service.
	These benefits are achieved by aggregating the demand for goods and services across a number schools and offering that increased volume to a larger pool of suppliers via structured competition.
	The use of procurement collaboration to achieve improved value for money, quality and reliability of supply is a key Government initiative. This is demonstrated by the importance placed on the Office of Government Commerce's (OGC's) collaborative agenda.
	Where this approach is adopted to a category of spend, for example support staff or facilities, an assessment of the specific merits to be achieved should be undertaken prior to undertaking the work (i.e. a business case is developed) and the subsequent measurement of the merits/benefits which should be recorded and reported as appropriate.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) currently encourages schools to make use of contracts and frameworks that have been competed in the market place across a range of products and services. Where arrangements for specific categories of spend have not been addressed by DCSF, a school will be directed to an appropriate collaborative contract or framework which may be owned by the local authority, OGC or some other public body.

Schools: Sport

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of schools in each local authority area provide pupils with the opportunity for at least two hours of sport per week.

Iain Wright: The following table from the School Sport Survey for 2007/08 shows the percentage of pupils by local authority who participated in at least two hours of high quality PE and out of hours sport in a typical week. The survey does not collect data in the form requested.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils who participated in at least two hours of high quality PE and out of hours school sport in a typical weekanalysis by local authority 
			   Percentage 
			 Barking and Dagenham 92 
			 Barnet 87 
			 Barnsley 87 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 92 
			 Bedfordshire 94 
			 Bexley 89 
			 Birmingham 91 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 89 
			 Blackpool 91 
			 Bolton 89 
			 Bournemouth 90 
			 Bracknell Forest 89 
			 Bradford 89 
			 Brent 87 
			 Brighton and Hove 90 
			 Bristol, City of 90 
			 Bromley 89 
			 Buckinghamshire 93 
			 Bury 93 
			 Calderdale 86 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 
			 Camden 86 
			 Cheshire 92 
			 City of London 60 
			 Cornwall 95 
			 Coventry 87 
			 Croydon 88 
			 Cumbria 90 
			 Darlington 89 
			 Derby 90 
			 Derbyshire 89 
			 Devon 94 
			 Doncaster 81 
			 Dorset 93 
			 Dudley 89 
			 Durham 91 
			 Ealing 93 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 91 
			 East Sussex 93 
			 Enfield 94 
			 Essex 92 
			 Gateshead 86 
			 Gloucestershire 90 
			 Greenwich 83 
			 Hackney 82 
			 Halton 87 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 91 
			 Hampshire 91 
			 Haringey 91 
			 Harrow 85 
			 Hartlepool 93 
			 Havering 85 
			 Herefordshire 95 
			 Hertfordshire 93 
			 Hillingdon 88 
			 Hounslow 91 
			 Isle of Wight 86 
			 Isles of Scilly 82 
			 Islington 89 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 92 
			 Kent 88 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 89 
			 Kingston upon Thames 92 
			 Kirklees 88 
			 Knowsley 89 
			 Lambeth 89 
			 Lancashire 89 
			 Leeds 91 
			 Leicester 87 
			 Leicestershire 88 
			 Lewisham 88 
			 Lincolnshire 91 
			 Liverpool 89 
			 Luton 93 
			 Manchester 86 
			 Medway 80 
			 Merton 92 
			 Middlesbrough 93 
			 Milton Keynes 96 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 92 
			 Newham 92 
			 Norfolk 92 
			 North East Lincolnshire 91 
			 North Lincolnshire 89 
			 North Somerset 90 
			 North Tyneside 91 
			 North Yorkshire 92 
			 Northamptonshire 92 
			 Northumberland 91 
			 Nottingham 88 
			 Nottinghamshire 91 
			 Oldham 93 
			 Oxfordshire 90 
			 Peterborough 86 
			 Plymouth 91 
			 Poole 95 
			 Portsmouth 88 
			 Reading 89 
			 Redbridge 83 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 88 
			 Richmond upon Thames 93 
			 Rochdale 90 
			 Rotherham 86 
			 Rutland 87 
			 Salford 88 
			 Sandwell 85 
			 Sefton 91 
			 Sheffield 85 
			 Shropshire 93 
			 Slough 87 
			 Solihull 89 
			 Somerset 91 
			 South Gloucestershire 90 
			 South Tyneside 89 
			 Southampton 84 
			 Southend-on-Sea 97 
			 Southwark 88 
			 St. Helens 93 
			 Staffordshire 86 
			 Stockport 89 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 91 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 91 
			 Suffolk 90 
			 Sunderland 92 
			 Surrey 88 
			 Sutton 93 
			 Swindon 86 
			 Tameside 86 
			 Telford and Wrekin 94 
			 Thurrock 91 
			 Torbay 90 
			 Tower Hamlets 87 
			 Trafford 87 
			 Wakefield 92 
			 Walsall 90 
			 Waltham Forest 93 
			 Wandsworth 88 
			 Warrington 96 
			 Warwickshire 91 
			 West Berkshire 91 
			 West Sussex 88 
			 Westminster 93 
			 Wigan 91 
			 Wiltshire 93 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 92 
			 Wirral 89 
			 Wokingham 95 
			 Wolverhampton 90 
			 Worcestershire 94 
			 York 94

Secondary Education: Pupil Exclusions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils who were permanently excluded from a mainstream maintained secondary school were placed in another mainstream maintained school in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what proportion of the intake of each school in the National Challenge Programme did not achieve a level 3 qualification or above in English in Year 6 in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of 11-year-olds entering a secondary school in the National Challenge Programme did not achieve a level 3 qualification or above in English in Year 6 in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Of the pupils taking Key Stage 4 exams in National Challenge schools in 2008, 12 per cent. did not achieve level 3 or above in Key Stage 2 English. This compares to a figure of 8 per cent. for pupils in all schools.
	The National Challenge is a detailed strategy to tackle the link between deprivation and low educational attainment by building sustainable improvement in secondary schools. The relatively low prior attainment of pupils in many National Challenge schools has always been acknowledged, and the plans for many of the schools reflect support to ensure these pupils succeed at KS4.
	Figures for the individual National Challenge schools have been placed in the House Libraries.

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need attended mainstream schools which Ofsted has assessed as inadequate in each year since 1997.

Diana Johnson: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 30 June 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Table A shows how many pupils with statements of special educational needs attended nursery, primary and secondary schools which were in special measures at the end of each academic year since 1997/98, and the percentage this represents of all pupils with statements of special educational needs. The number and percentage of all pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools in special measures are also shown for information.
	
		
			  Table A: Number and percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs, and all pupils, attending nursery, primary and secondary schools which were in special measures at the end of each academic year since 1997/98 
			   Pupils with statements of special educational needs  All pupils 
			   In schools in special measures at the end of the academic year  In all schools  Percentage in schools in special measures  In schools in special measures at the end of the academic year  In all schools  Percentage in schools in special measures 
			 1997/98 3,768 141,410 3 149,733 7,598,190 2 
			 1998/99 3,334 147,580 2 129,502 7,645,880 2 
			 1999/2000 3,153 152,800 2 123,924 7,680,200 2 
			 2000/01 2,703 158,000 2 107,374 7,699,990 1 
			 2001/02 2,128 149,890 1 91,274 7,686,080 1 
			 2002/03 2,386 150,910 2 92,040 7,677,900 1 
			 2003/04 3,566 149,050 2 129,596 7,643,130 2 
			 2004/05 2,823 145,040 2 106,672 7,589,720 1 
			 2005/06 1,932 139,880 1 86,785 7,530,550 1 
			 2006/07 1,715 132,270 1 84,273 7,466,950 1 
			 2007/08 1,710 126,660 1 85,876 7,414,290 1 
			  Source:  Figures are based on School Census (pupil level) data from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. 
		
	
	Special measures is an Ofsted category, defined in the Education Act 2005, meaning that a school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. Please be aware that the framework for inspecting maintained schools has been revised throughout the period in question, most recently in September 2005. As a result, there has been no consistent inadequate category over this period. These tables are, therefore, limited to those maintained schools placed in special measures, as this category has been in place throughout the period in question.
	Pupil numbers have been calculated using information from the Department for Children, Schools and Families' School Census (pupil-level) on pupils registered at one school only, and on pupils registered at two schools, but using their main school as recorded on the census. The census is taken in January of each year.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21st century schools, whether he plans to make additional funding allocations in respect of children with additional needs who are not dyslexic.

Diana Johnson: We want all children to have an equal chance to succeed, but children from disadvantaged backgrounds need extra support from their school to make that a reality. The current formula for the distribution of the dedicated schools grant includes an element to recognise the pressures faced by those local authorities with high deprivation. For 2009-10 the DSG included 3 billion for deprivation.
	We are undertaking a review of the dedicated schools grant to develop a new funding formula which would be available for use from April 2011. The aim of the review is to develop a funding formula which distributes resources in line with relative need, recognising the different costs of educating particular groups of pupils and providing education in different areas. Our aim is to support schools and LAs in raising the educational achievement of all pupils and narrow achievement gaps, particularly those from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds.
	As part of this review we are investigating how best to provide funding for additional educational needs (AEN) and have commissioned research to investigate such issues as the different types of AEN in terms of level of incidence and severity; the best measures for identifying pupils likely to under-achieve and the potential role of financial incentives in tackling deprivation.
	The review is ongoing and it would not be appropriate at this stage to pre-empt its outcome. We expect to go out to consultation on proposals for a new funding formula in early 2010, after which proposals will be further developed in the light of the consultation responses.

Specialised Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have entered for  (a) the foundation,  (b) intermediate and  (c) higher diploma in (i) construction and the built environment, (ii) business administration and finance, (iii) creative and media, (iv) engineering and (v) environmental and land-based studies in each local authority area.

Iain Wright: The latest information for Diplomas in Construction and the Built Environment, Creative and Media, and Engineering are in the following table. In 2008, Diplomas were available in around two thirds of local authorities, as listed in the table. Most of these local authorities have been approved to deliver one or two Diploma lines. Young people have yet to enrol in the Business Administration and Finance or the Environmental and Land-Based Diplomas as these are not being taught for the first time until September 2009.
	
		
			  LA  Line  Foundation (L1)  Higher (L2)  Advanced  (L3) 
			 Barking and Dagenham CrMed 0 13 0 
			 Barking and Dagenham Eng 16 18 15 
			 Barnsley Const 0 28 23 
			 Birmingham Const 0 12 0 
			 Birmingham CrMed 43 84 22 
			 Birmingham Eng 5 52 0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Eng 0 6 0 
			 Bolton Const 35 26 0 
			 Bolton Eng 0 23 14 
			 Bradford CrMed 0 51 26 
			 Bromley CrMed 22 52 22 
			 Bromley Eng 23 8 2 
			 Buckinghamshire Eng 8 37 0 
			 Bury Eng 0 31 15 
			 Calderdale CrMed 9 18 0 
			 Cambridgeshire CrMed 0 51 16 
			 Cheshire CrMed 0 31 8 
			 Cheshire Eng 30 56 6 
			 Cornwall CrMed 9 130 26 
			 Coventry Eng 9 96 0 
			 Croydon Const 8 20 0 
			 Cumbria Const 0 15 0 
			 Cumbria CrMed 0 14 0 
			 Cumbria Eng 0 22 0 
			 Derby Eng 10 17 0 
			 Dorset Const 17 0 0 
			 Dorset CrMed 0 28 8 
			 Dudley CrMed 0 38 41 
			 Durham Eng 0 10 0 
			 Ealing Const 12 8 0 
			 Ealing CrMed 12 12 18 
			 East Sussex Const 27 27 0 
			 East Sussex CrMed 0 55 28 
			 East Sussex Eng 0 45 0 
			 Gateshead Eng 0 16 0 
			 Hackney Const 0 38 0 
			 Hackney CrMed 0 47 0 
			 Halton Const 12 13 0 
			 Hampshire Const 0 46 19 
			 Hampshire Eng 0 27 0 
			 Haringey Const 10 16 0 
			 Harrow CrMed- 0 6 0 
			 Hartlepool Eng 11 19 0 
			 Hertfordshire Const 10 47 5 
			 Hertfordshire CrMed 20 82 11 
			 Hertfordshire Eng 46 80 8 
			 Hillingdon Eng 0 0 16 
			 Hounslow CrMed 2 49 0 
			 Islington CrMed 0 40 18 
			 Kent Const 0 32 10 
			 Kirklees CrMed 16 38 0 
			 Knowsley CrMed 0 48 13 
			 Knowsley Eng 24 48 9 
			 Lambeth (joint Southwark) Eng 42 154 11 
			 Lancashire CrMed 18 67 0 
			 Lancashire Eng 0 15 0 
			 Leeds Const 14 51 18 
			 Leeds CrMed 7 20 12 
			 Leicestershire CrMed 0 14 0 
			 Leicestershire Eng 33 64 8 
			 Lincolnshire CrMed 0 83 12 
			 Lincolnshire Eng 21 113 10 
			 Liverpool Const 9 16 11 
			 Liverpool CrMed 0 28 26 
			 Liverpool Eng 10 20 14 
			 Manchester Const 22 41 0 
			 Manchester CrMed 60 30 0 
			 Medway CrMed 29 29 42 
			 Medway Eng 0 33 13 
			 Middlesbrough Const 27 31 0 
			 Middlesbrough Eng 0 36 31 
			 Milton Keynes Const 35 10 0 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne Const 0 19 0 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne CrMed 70 18 17 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne Eng 30 24 27 
			 Newham Const 28 46 0 
			 Newham CrMed 47 54 23 
			 Newham Eng 25 54 43 
			 Norfolk Const 79 53 20 
			 Norfolk CrMed 12 49 18 
			 North East Lincolnshire Eng 0 18 0 
			 North Somerset CrMed 0 74 11 
			 North Tyneside Const 9 11 0 
			 North Tyneside CrMed 0 21 28 
			 North Tyneside Eng 5 19 0 
			 North Yorkshire CrMed 0 20 0 
			 Northamptonshire CrMed 0 68 0 
			 Northamptonshire Eng 0 8 0 
			 Nottingham City Const 23 21 0 
			 Nottingham City CrMed 4 16 0 
			 Nottingham City Eng 16 24 36 
			 Nottinghamshire Const 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire Const 12 23 0 
			 Nottinghamshire CrMed 0 51 0 
			 Nottinghamshire Eng 13 14 0 
			 Oldham Const 11 0 18 
			 Oldham CrMed 15 22 9 
			 Oxfordshire CrMed 41 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire Eng 41 61 0 
			 Plymouth City Const 0 11 0 
			 Plymouth City Eng 10 48 11 
			 Reading Const 0 0 24 
			 Reading CrMed 50 24 23 
			 Reading Eng 10 31 30 
			 Rotherham Const 6 54 0 
			 Rutland CrMed 0 49 0 
			 Salford CrMed 24 116 20 
			 Sheffield Const 0 30 0 
			 Sheffield CrMed 7 36 0 
			 Sheffield Eng 0 35 12 
			 Somerset CrMed 21 55 0 
			 South Gloucestershire Const 28 56 0 
			 South Gloucestershire CrMed 0 148 0 
			 South Gloucestershire Eng 14 53 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea CrMed 4 32 0 
			 Southwark CrMed 12 16 21 
			 St. Helens Eng 0 17 0 
			 Staffordshire Const 0 36 0 
			 Staffordshire Eng 0 9 0 
			 Stoke on Trent Const 25 13 22 
			 Stoke on Trent Eng 20 25 17 
			 Suffolk Eng 16 15 9 
			 Sunderland Const 0 44 0 
			 Sunderland CrMed 0 45 0 
			 Sunderland Eng 0 56 0 
			 Surrey Const 0 15 0 
			 Surrey CrMed 14 32 0 
			 Surrey Eng 19 44 0 
			 Swindon Const 12 7 9 
			 Swindon CrMed 4 45 38 
			 Swindon Eng 23 36 24 
			 Tameside Eng 9 18 16 
			 Torbay CrMed 9 88 18 
			 Trafford Const 0 37 0 
			 Trafford Eng 14 46 0 
			 Wakefield Const 0 5 0 
			 Walsall CrMed 0 52 0 
			 Waltham Forest CrMed 0 35 0 
			 West Sussex Const 0 10 0 
			 West Sussex Eng 12 9 0 
			 Wiltshire Const 1 7 0 
			 Wiltshire CrMed 15 51 0 
			 Wiltshire Eng 0 9 0 
			 Wolverhampton Const 0 18 0 
			 Wolverhampton CrMed 0 63 51 
			 Wolverhampton Eng 27 24 0 
			 Worcestershire Const 31 27 0 
			 Worcestershire CrMed 0 25 11 
			 Worcestershire Eng 12 13 0 
			 York City Eng 0 51 23

Teachers: Licensing

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21st century schools, 
	(1)  what process a prospective teacher will be required to follow to obtain a licence to teach; whether a licence to teach will be required of holders of a postgraduate certificate of education qualification; how often the licence to teach will have to be renewed; whether he proposes that a teacher should undertake a minimum number of hours of teaching to keep the licence to teach; whether teachers will be required to make a payment to obtain a licence to teach; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of administering the licence to teach scheme in the first 12 months of operation;
	(2)  what arrangements he plans to make to enable teachers from overseas to obtain the licence to teach.

Vernon Coaker: Initial details of our plans for the roll-out of a 'licence to teach' were set out in our White Paper 'Your child, your schools, our future' published on 30 June 2009. In setting up specific arrangements, we want to build on the best elements of the existing registration arrangements for teachers but place more emphasis on a teacher's record of professional development and practice.
	Our intention is to begin to roll out the new arrangements for qualified teachers and head teachers teaching in maintained schools, non-maintained special schools and short-stay schools (formerly pupil referral units) from September 2010. We envisage that, as with current registration arrangements for teachers, the 'licence to teach' will follow the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and any qualification, for example a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, that a teacher may have attained as part of their initial teacher training.
	As we set out in our White Paper, we envisage a 'licence to teach' being valid for five years, at the end of which the licence holder would have to undergo a process of revalidation, building on the performance management arrangements and including other feedback.
	We are mindful that this represents a major change for the teaching profession and we will, therefore, work and consult closely with the many stakeholders here, including our social partners. These discussions will help inform the precise shape and details of the 'licence to teach' including: whether or not we set a minimum number of hours of teaching practice to keep the licence current; and what arrangements we may make to enable teachers from overseas to obtain the licence to teach.
	In relation to cost, all qualified teachers working in maintained schools, non-maintained special schools and short stay schools (formerly pupil referral units) are currently required to pay an annual fee to the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) in order to be fully registered with the GTC.
	This provides them with the right to teach in the maintained sector. The fee must also be paid by those teachers who work in academies who have to pay the fee as part of their employment contract, and any other teachers who wish to register with the GTC. As part of consulting stakeholders, we will consider how the 'licence to teach' will interact with the current annual registration fee and will be seeking the views of the profession before making a final decision.

Teaching Methods

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  pursuant to the Statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21st century schools, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of implementation of his proposals for one-to-one tuition at  (a) primary and  (b) secondary level; and how many hours of such tuition per pupil per week he plans to provide;
	(2)  pursuant to the Statement of 30 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21st century schools, what estimate he has made of the number of pupils between Years 3 and 6 who will require additional one-to-one tuition in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics in each of the next three years; how many hours of additional tuition per child he expects to provide; and how much he plans to allocate to the budgets of (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools to fund such tuition.

Diana Johnson: One-to-one tuition is already being implemented nationally. In the spring and summer terms 2009 we have allocated 15 million to support 36,000 pupils in years 5 and 6. In 2009-10 we are providing 138 million to support around 150,000 pupils in each of English and mathematics across key stage 2, key stage 3 (and in national challenge schools key Stage 4). In 2010-11, 315 million is available to offer one-to-one tuition to 300,000 pupils in English and 300,000 pupils in mathematics across primary and secondary schools.
	It is for local authorities working with their schools to identify the pupils in each of the key stages who should benefit from the additional funding for one-to-one tuition that we have provided. Local authorities will be responsible for allocating funding to their schools to support these pupils.
	Once they are identified for one-to-one tuition, pupils receive 10 hours of additional support.

Third Sector

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what terms and conditions are set by his Department in relation to the provision of funding from his Department's budget to  (a) charities,  (b) voluntary organisations and  (c) social enterprises.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) does not make a distinction between  (a) charities,  (b) voluntary organisations or  (c) social enterprises in relation to provision of grant funding. As per the Cabinet Office definition, DCSF regards charities, voluntary organisations or social enterprises as Third Sector Organisations.
	The DCSF pays most of its funds through local authorities and children's centres. These organisations commission locally, thereby benefiting the local third sector.
	DCSF has two established grant funding agreement templates covering funding under and over 200,000. Managers responsible for the management of a grant programme have the flexibility to decide which agreement template to use, based on the level of the agreed funding. Each grant funding agreement has clearly defined terms and conditions governing funding including:
	how the grant should be used
	responsibilities and accountabilities of the grant recipient
	terms and conditions of payment
	Intellectual property right arrangements
	capital asset management
	access to information in order to monitor compliance and performance
	accounting and financial management controls and
	repayment of unspent funds.
	Grant funds are never paid before they have been formally approved and the grant recipient has accepted the terms and conditions of the grant agreement by signing and returning the agreement. Funding is usually paid in arrears. However, funding may be paid in advance when a request is made and a clear need for advance payment can be shown.
	The funding offered will reflect the full cost of the service, including legitimate overhead costs, and is paid for up to three years.
	Contract funds adhere to Government procurement policy, based on value for money, and the EU procurement rules. This ensures that all sectors within the market are treated equally.
	DCSF guidance reflects the recent guidelines on proportionate monitoring issued by the Cabinet Office. Monitoring must be proportionate to the risks and benefits involved.

Young People: Unemployed

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of people aged 16 to 24 years were not in education, employment or training in each region in the first quarter of 2009.

Iain Wright: The following table shows estimates taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) of the number and proportion of people of academic age(1) 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training in the first quarter of 2009, by region.
	(1) Academic age is defined as age at the start of the academic year, 31 August.
	
		
			  16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training by region, Q1 2009 
			   Number  Proportion (percentage) 
			 North East 57,000 18 
			 North West 156,000 18 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 107,000 16 
			 East Midlands 69,000 13 
			 West Midlands 126,000 20 
			 East of England 83,000 14 
			 London 127,000 14 
			 South East 130,000 14 
			 South West 78,000 14 
			  Note: It is important to note that as with all survey estimates these estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling error. The confidence interval for regional estimates of NEET is typically plus or minus 2 to 3 percentage points. Figures should therefore be treated with caution.  Source:  Labour Force Survey